Sonic & Freedom Planet: Worlds of Freedom
by Mixedfan8643
Summary: Behold, my first crossover! :D Here we have Sonic the Hedgehog and Freedom Planet crossing over in an epic adventure that sees friendships made and stakes raising high as the fate of Mobius and Avalice lies in the balance. Can Sonic and Lilac team up and stop Eggman and Brevon's evil plans before their worlds are doomed?
1. Prelude: Phenomenon

All Sonic characters belong to SEGA

All Freedom Planet characters belong to GalaxyTrail

 **Author's note: This story is NOT CANON to Heroes of Mobius or my Freedom Planet fanfic universe. It is canon to the Sonic and Freedom Planet games. Sonic's side is after Generations, Freedom Planet's side is…well, after their first and so far only game of course. XD**

 **Act 1**

 _Prelude: Phenomenon_

 _Planet Mobius, 9:30 pm at night…_

Night was falling over the world of Mobius once again. The blue skies were replaced by black skies and the sun set down behind the horizon in favour of the moon rising up to take its turn at shining a light over the world. Stars twinkled in place of clouds and darkness fell over every inch of the planet from trees to buildings and villages to cities. Mobius was an extraordinary world, home to humans and humanoid animals known as "Mobians" and was known for its incredulous features such as large cities, expansive jungles and bizarre castles and casino-themed areas. It was a world of beauty and wonder and even at night, it was a pretty sight with its twinkling stars and glistening moon in the velvet black sky above. It was going to be a beautiful night, and as of this moment, there was at least one person already awake to enjoy the night. Few people would ever dare to stay up so late so they could witness what the night had in store for them. Especially people as young as the one who was setting up a powerful telescope that would allow him to see high up into the sky, even as far up as space if he wanted to.

The young child was a twin-tailed, yellow furred fox known as Miles Prower, but he was better known by his nickname "Tails". Tails was only eight years old but despite his young age, he was incredibly gifted with scientific intellect beyond what one would expect in a child and a fierce determination that saw him survive many encounters and adventures he had been on. He was also very kind and good-hearted with a friendly demeanour and a likeable personality. Tails was hoping to see something up in the sky tonight, something that he wouldn't see again until next year. He had his telescope set up for just the occasion. The fox had gotten it for his birthday last year and had taken it up onto a grassy hill to set it up for his night-time watch. His telescope had a powerful lens, one that would easily let him see up as far as outer space if he wanted to see that far. He peered through the scope to see if the lens was clear enough. He could see every single star in the sky as clear as he could see them now. Everything was working perfectly. Smiling to himself, the kid genius sat down on a stool and peered through the telescope, waiting for what he had come for to happen.

"OK, I'm all set up and the time is right…it should be happening any moment now." Tails mused quietly to himself, "I wonder if Sonic's got Amy and Cream yet? They'll wanna see this."

Just as the young fox wondered about this, he heard the sounds of approaching footsteps walking through the grass. He turned around and beamed as he saw just the person that he was expecting. It was his best friend and the Hero of Mobius himself, Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic was fifteen years old and had long, blue quills and dashing green eyes. He wore red sneakers that were built for sport and white gloves. Sonic was renowned for his impressive speed, which had earned him the name of "Sonic". He was the reason that Mobius always survived to see another day thanks to his super speed and his destructive spin-dashes. He had two girls with him. One was a pink hedgehog named Amy Rose and the other was a cream coloured rabbit named Cream. Amy was Sonic's would-be-love interest although she had mellowed out of her fan-girlish behaviour over time and was content just being Sonic's friend as of now. She was a strong fighter, able to smash most enemies or send them flying with a wave of her big, meaty Piko-Piko Hammer. The hammer made her a force to be reckoned with. Cream was Amy's best friend and was pretty much the she-hog's equivalent to Tails. She was able to fly with her long, floppy ears and was always accompanied by her pet Chao Cheese, a small blue creature with wings and a red bow tie. The rabbit yawned tiredly but did her best to stay awake. It was past her bedtime and she knew that her mother would be tucking her in right now. But Tails had promised her and Amy that they would enjoy staying up to see what he was going to show them now. Sonic walked up to his little brother figure and the hedgehog and fox fist-bumped in greeting.

"Hey Tails, nice night to be watching the stars!" Sonic said cheerfully.

"It is indeed Sonic." Tails chuckled, "That's why I'm up here tonight, to watch the stars."

"You gonna sit and count them all?" the teen hedgehog snickered, "You might be here a while, I mean look how many there are!"

The Mobians all looked up to the sky. There were indeed hundreds upon hundreds of stars out tonight. To count them all would be like counting individual grains of sand on the beach. Tails chuckled again.

"No Sonic, that's not quite what I have in mind." he replied.

"Are you here to watch the moon instead then?" asked Amy, glancing up at the beautiful, glistening moon up in the dark sky, "It's quite beautiful tonight, especially since it's full."

"No, no, not that." Tails said, waving his hands, "But what I can tell you is that I'm here and waiting for a special star to appear tonight. It's a very special kind of star, special in the sense that it ONLY comes out once a year every year."

"That sounds exciting!" Cream piped.

"So when did you first see this special star then?" asked Sonic, glancing up at the sky as if expecting to see it.

"About a couple of years ago when I was only six." the young cub explained, "I was out seeing if I could spot any comets or meteors with my dad's old telescope one night and I saw a big flash of white light that looked exactly like a star. It was bigger than the others and lasted about an hour, getting bigger over a course of thirty minutes and then shrinking back down for the other thirty."

"Wow, at six years old, you was already timing things like that star's beginning and end?" Amy gasped, "Not many kids at that age have that kind of patience."

"I suppose that's what makes me special." Tails said modestly, "Anyway, I saw the star again on the same night I saw it when I was six the next year. So it must mean that this phenomenon only occurs yearly. It's precisely two years on this exact night I saw the star so it should be coming out any time soon."

"That's cool. So what's with the telescope?" Sonic asked curiously, "You wanna study this thing or something?"

"Yeah, something like that." Tails admitted, "I'm kinda curious as to what's causing this one star to appear so bright in comparison to the others."

"Maybe it's a wishing star." the hedgehog snickered, "Maybe you could make a wish when it appears or something."

"I know what I'd wish for." Amy giggled, winking at Sonic.

The hedgehog let out a fake chuckle but said nothing. He was used to Amy's little jokes by now, especially since she was more mellow and mature ever since the time he and his younger self had defeated the Time Eater and both Past and Present Dr. Eggmen. He preferred Amy this way and wondered if she'd get more and more mature as time went by.

"When will the star appear Tails?" Cream asked curiously.

"Well it appeared at 9:35 the last two times I saw it." the fox replied, "It's 9:35 now," he added, glancing at his watch which he kept under the cuff of his glove, "So it should be appearing right…"

He paused for dramatic effect but before he could say anything, the phenomenon happened. Up in the sea of darkness above, a small white light began to shine. It stood out from the stars surrounding it by shining brighter than either of them were. The light began to increase in size, shining brighter and brighter with every second that passed. Sonic, Amy and Cream glanced up at the star, amazed at what they were seeing. They had never seen a star this bright before. They had always been asleep when it had been out. And now they were watching one of nature's miracles happening for the only time they would ever see it this year. Tails peered into his telescope, the lens showing the star in all its glory as it shone. It was so clear that Tails could've been seeing it right in front of his own eye instead of through a powerful lens hundreds of miles down on the ground. It was an amazing sight and still as beautiful as ever. The fact it only appear yearly made it more special and mesmerizing to watch for the kid-genius. The four Mobians stood watching the amazing star for thirty minutes, amazed as it got bigger and bigger. It was about the size of the moon now but it was shining much brighter. It was almost like a second sun in the dark void above. If it was any brighter, it could've been mistaken for another sun. Tails had watched the whole thing through the telescope, spellbound by what he had seen. Seeing it up close through the scope had made the whole experience more thrilling than the last two years he'd seen it.

"Amazing…the whole thing seems to shine with its own phosphorescence." he calculated, "It just seems to be a natural occurring phenomenon with nothing causing it accidentally or intentionally."

"So this occurrence is normal then?" Sonic mused, "Gotta say, it was worth watching. It was kinda beautiful."

"It's so bright!" Amy hollered, still staring at the star, "It's so sad that this miracle of nature only happens once a year! Where do you think it's happening Tails?"

"Judging from where it started…I'd say up in space somewhere, probably about the same distance away from us as the moon, maybe slightly closer." the fox replied, "It's difficult to pinpoint but a rough estimate is that it's that far away."

"I wonder if it'll come closer so we can touch it?" Cream murmured.

"It doesn't get closer. It's always been that same distance every time I've seen it." Tails stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm not sure if it'd be good if that star got closer to us." Amy mused, "It could be dangerous that way."

"If it doesn't move from its spot every time it appears then this hedgehog's not worried." Sonic said brightly, "Mobius won't have to worry about weird stars causing trouble for us. I wonder what Eggman would think if he saw this?"

"He'd probably assume it's some kind of power source and try and use it…" Tails muttered bitterly.

"Yeah, try and make another Time Eater perhaps." the hedgehog snickered, "Wouldn't be a "bright" idea though since I'd just stop him again."

"You know next time we see this star Tails, we should film it." Amy suggested, "We could then look back on the occurrence whenever we want to so we don't have to wait a year all the time to see it. What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea!" Tails said enthusiastically, "Next year, I'll bring you all to this exact spot again and we'll film it! We could show it to anybody who misses it and let them see the miracle, maybe tempt them to stay up so they can see it in person themselves one day."

"I'd love to show the film to my mother!" Cream said excitedly, "She'd be so amazed by it!"

"Chao, chao!" Cheese piped in agreement.

"All I can say about this funky little star up there Tails is that this is why we keep Mobius safe." Sonic said, glancing up at the star again, "So we can all live to see the world's miracles, such as this up there. Sentimental I know but that's what makes life worth living to the fullest."

"I agree." Tails said, watching the star as it began to grow smaller slowly but steadily with awe.

"And we'll be around to see it again next year." the super-speedy hero declared, "So is the star just gonna get smaller now?"

"It is indeed."

"Then I guess we can all head on back home."

"I agree, Cream's getting pretty tired." Amy said, looking over at her best friend as she yawned, "We'd better get some shut-eye."

"And tomorrow, we'll be ready for whatever hair-brained scheme Dr. Eggman has in mind!" Sonic cried, "Goodnight everybody, see you tomorrow." he added, shaking Tails's hand before he left.

"Goodnight Sonic." said Tails as his friend shook his hand and left, "Goodnight Amy and Cream."

"See you in the morning Tails. Sleep well!" Amy chirped.

"Goodnight Tails, sweet dreams!" Cream said politely, stifling a yawn.

The fox smiled graciously at his friends as they bid goodnight. Sonic, Amy and Cream left the twin-tailed fox behind to tidy away his telescope. They walked down the hill and headed off for home as the fox retracted the telescope into the base and picked it up along with the stool he'd been sitting on. He looked up one last time at the star, feeling lucky to have seen it again tonight and feeling very happy that his friends had come to see it tonight. It was a miracle he had been happy to share with his friends and he wondered if they would share it with anybody else in the world. Tails then turned around and headed off for home, yawning as he walked away. He was ready for his sleep but as he walked off, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder to see the shrinking star get smaller in the sky above. He was looking forward to seeing it again next year…

* * *

Sonic, Tails, Amy and Cream weren't the only ones who were watching the amazing star tonight. At the same time they had watched it appear, a red echidna with long dreadlocks and spiked knuckles was watching it too. He was standing atop a beautiful shrine that stood proudly on a huge floating island that loomed above the ground as if under a magic spell of some kind. His name was Knuckles and he was the Guardian of the Master Emerald, a huge green emerald of amazing power that kept Angel Island afloat. Knuckles carried out his duty with honour, dignity and devotion, always making sure that nobody ever stole the grandiose gem and tried to use it for their own selfish needs. He was a good friend with Sonic and the others though the two often made fun of each other due to their past rivalry.

Knuckles was standing in front of the emerald as usual but he was watching the strange but beautiful star up in the sky. He watched it get bigger and bigger as its hourly visit ticked by and found himself unable to look away from it. He wondered what it was. He was surprised to see it glow brighter than the moon itself as if trying to outdo it. It was an amazing sight, almost as amazing as the sight of his beloved island.

"Looks like the Night Sun's here again." the spike-fisted echidna said to himself, "Must mean that tomorrow's gonna be a good day just like my ancestors always prophesised."

He thought back to the legends surrounding this weird but wonderful phenomenon that occurred on the same night every year. His ancestors had nicknamed it "The Night Sun" for it was almost as bright as the sun itself and was thought to foretell on how fortunate the people of Mobius were going to be the next day. Knuckles believed the legends for he couldn't think of why else this strange thing would appear. It had been happening for so long, something that Knuckles often pondered about. Was this phenomenon as old as Mobius itself? It would make sense considering that his ancestors dated back a long time. Maybe even prehistoric Mobians had seen this "Night Sun" and theorized about it.

"I wonder if Sonic or his buddies have seen this thing." Knuckles wondered, "And I wonder if this thing's a powerful entity of some kind. Might be as powerful as the Master Emerald."

He glanced over his shoulder at the glorious green gem that stood behind him.

"Whatever the Night Sun is, it's best that it stays what it is…just a light in the sky." he deduced.

He looked up at the strange star one last time and then lay down to rest for the night. He would need his sleep otherwise he wouldn't be a very good guardian. He was always on the lookout for Dr. Eggman trying to steal the precious gem and always making sure that he would never, ever get his hands on it. The Night Sun's appearance was meant to symbolize good fortune for tomorrow. Maybe that good fortune would make his next defence of the emerald a success and Eggman would be kept away from the emerald once again…

* * *

 _Planet Avalice, 9:30 pm at night…_

Another world in another universe was getting ready for another beautiful night's sleep too. The sun had set, the moon was out and the stars were twinkling. The moon's shine was bright and luminous, giving the night sky a sense of beauty to balance out its sense of dread. The world was a planet known as Avalice, a beautiful world that was known for housing three big, wealthy, brightly coloured kingdoms that all had their own leaders, citizens and personalities, making them all distinct from one another. The kingdoms were known as Shang Tu, Shang Mu and Shuigang. Shang Tu was blue, Shang Mu was red and Shuigang was green. All three kingdoms were settling in for the night, lights in houses switching off and the streets getting quieter and quieter. Soon the world would be at peace until the next morning.

Outside of the three kingdoms was a lush, inviting environment known as Dragon Valley. It was named in honour of the dragon race, a race that had come to Avalice and mixed with the ancestors of the planet's inhabitants. The three kingdoms were even made in honour of a mystical, magical dragon that had come to Avalice and blessed the world with its beauty and radiance. Dragon Valley had lush forests, rocky mountains and plains. Deep in the forests of Dragon Valley, there was a treehouse built into one of the trees. It was a homely environment and two storeys high, just big enough for the people that lived in it.

The treehouse was unoccupied at the moment for the people living inside it were camping outside for the night. There was a purple dragon, a green wildcat and a white hound sitting around a campfire with three tents standing behind them. The tents matched the colours of the three girls occupying them. The dragon was named Lilac and she was the heroine of Avalice, having saved the world from the evil alien warlord Lord Brevon when he had tried to steal the Kingdom Stone a month ago. The Kingdom Stone was a magical artefact that provided energy for the world to survive. It was no longer a stone though, but now a swirling vortex of energy that appeared every so often. Lilac was pleased to have stopped Brevon from making off with the stone, thus allowing her world to live for many more years to come. The dragon was so-called because of her lilac-skin colour and was famous for her trademark twin-tendrils which she used to deadly effect in a battle. The cat and dog were called Carol and Milla. They were Lilac's best friends and had helped her stop Lord Brevon in his evil plans to escape Avalice with the Kingdom Stone. Carol was a biker girl and had her own motorbike. Milla was a young puppy with a strong connection to the earth and an adorable personality. The three girls were camping outside for the night, wanting to enjoy the beauty for a change. Lilac had a stick with some marshmallows impaled on the end and she roasted them over the fire.

"Isn't it a lovely night for a camp out girls?" she asked brightly, watching the white, fluffy marshmallows darken as they heated.

"It sure is!" Carol agreed, picking up some wafer biscuits and sandwiching a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow between them, "It's a beautiful starry night and it's peaceful in the valley tonight. What better way to spend the night than to bet out here to enjoy it?"

"I love sitting around the campfire and roasting marshmallows and making s'mores!" Milla piped, munching on a s'more that she'd just made a moment ago, "Please can we do this more often Lilac?"

"Sure, why not?" Lilac said cheerfully, "Camping's a lot of fun. I remember how the Red Scarves always abolished the idea of a fun campout…thank goodness they can't say no to us now."

"You're telling me Lilac." Carol nodded agreeably, holding her s'more over the campfire to let the chocolate and marshmallow melt, "I'm still glad we ditched the assholes…"

"Carol, language!" the dragon hissed, glancing over at Milla.

"Did Carol just say a bad word?" the hound asked.

"Yeah, I did. Sorry." the cat said sheepishly, "Anyway, do you think that we'll see Torque again soon?"

Lilac thought for a moment. It had been a month since Torque had left Avalice to return to the Chasers after Brevon's defeat. Was it too soon to be hoping that he would come back? The dragon shrugged it off and responded.

"Maybe. I hope he does." she said, "I really liked Torque. He was pretty cool to be around and he taught us so much about space and what it's like out there."

"If he ever comes to Avalice again, we should invite him to a campout!" Milla exclaimed excitedly, "He'd love it!"

"I think he would indeed Milla." the dragon nodded, "I bet he'd even like a s'more or two."

She took her stick away from the campfire and noticed that the marshmallows were very well toasted. She chewed on one of them eagerly, savouring the sweet, sticky taste of the marshmallow. They tasted good on their own but toasted, they tasted even better. But as Lilac was enjoying her snack, Milla suddenly leapt onto her feet, chocolate around her lips from the s'more she'd just eaten. She pointed up frantically at the sky.

"Look, look!" she cried excitedly, "Up in the sky, there's a big star up there! Look!"

"A big star?" Carol cried, a half-eaten s'more still in her hand, "Where?"

"I think that's it." Lilac said, standing up, turning around and looking up in Milla's direction with the stick of toasted marshmallows still in her hand, "Look ahead, there's a star that's brighter than the others."

Carol stuffed what was left of her s'more into her mouth and then looked up at the sky, wondering what was so special about this star that Milla was so excited about it. She soon saw why as she spotted the star and stared at it. It was a ball of white light, getting bigger and bigger second by second up in the dark heavens above. The three girls watched it, completely mesmerized by what they were witnessing. They had never seen anything like it before. What on Avalice was it? Half an hour later, the star had grown about as big as the moon and was shining at a brightness that nearly matched the sun's own light. The Avalician trio could hardly believe how big the star was getting but they knew that they wouldn't have anything to worry about as the star began to get smaller, the seconds ticking by to the next half of its visit to this world.

"Well…what a sight this is…" Lilac breathed.

"What is it?" Carol asked.

"Maybe it's an angel?" Milla suggested, "Mommy always said to me that angels shone very brightly. It might be here to grant us a wish!"

"I'm not sure if it was an angel Milla…" Lilac mused, "But it could've been. How come we've never seen it before?"

"Because we've always been asleep when it comes out perhaps?" Carol suggested, "Or maybe it's one of those once-in-a-while jobs, I dunno. We should ask somebody about it tomorrow."

"Good idea." the dragon said, nodding, "Although…I have a strange feeling that I've seen that thing before…"

"Really?"

"Yes…can't recall it exactly but I can vaguely remember seeing something like this one night when I was very small…"

"Was it the same night as this one?"

"Can't remember…"

"Either way, if it's an angel then I know what I'm gonna wish for!" Milla squeaked, "I better make the wish before it disappears. It's getting smaller."

"Indeed it is." Lilac said, watching the star's light dim slightly, "It must just come and go. Make a wish Milla."

The excited puppy wagged her tail as she clasped her hands together in a prayer and closed her eyes. Lilac and Carol watched her, already knowing what her wish was going to be before she had even said a word.

"I wish that my mommy and daddy could see you now angel." the dog said softly.

Lilac and Carol nodded at each other. It was just as they'd expected. The little hound was still wishing she could be reunited with her parents. She had lost them a while ago and had been alone ever since. That is until she had met Lilac and Carol during Brevon's attack on the world. Even with the two keeping her company, it was clear that Milla still longed for her loving parents to be back with her again. If the strange, bright star in the sky was an angel, then hopefully, the angel would grant that wish and Milla would be the happiest little puppy in the world...

* * *

Lilac and her friends weren't the only Avalicians baring witness to the supernatural event happening tonight. Over in the blue-coloured kingdom of Shang Tu, two pandas were watching the abnormally bright star from the balcony of the Royal Palace, home of the ruler of Shang Tu. One was a heavyweight, male panda who wore armour and carried a giant shield on his back that he used to great effect in battle, both offensive and defensive. The other was a female panda who carried an ice sceptre and had a rather firm personality. The large panda was named General Gong and the female panda was named Neera Li. Gong was in charge of the Royal Magister's army and Neera Li was a priestess who had the fighting prowess necessary to capture criminals, as well as her ice sceptre. They had been preparing to settle in for the night only to see the strange bright star up in the night sky. They watched it grow in size and shine brightly as if was heaven's light itself.

"I didn't think the Angel Light would be here again..." Gong murmured, "I suppose I should've seen it coming though."

"You should have, it appears on this exact same night every year." Neera said, "Why it does so is beyond me. But it must mean something..."

"Like what?"

"Is it a sign from heaven itself? It could be..."

"But then why does it only appear once a year?"

"Maybe it's something to be treasured. A rare gift from heaven that we have to treasure and enjoy only once a year."

The general nodded. He was always fascinated by how religious people viewed things like this. He wasn't sure if he agreed himself but he knew better than to argue against beliefs. It only caused a lot of unnecessary strife.

"The Angel Light sure is bright...even the Kingdom Stone's energy doesn't shine that bright." Gong mused, "Maybe it's got more energy than the stone itself ever had."

"That's not a bad theory Gong. You could be right." Neera said, nodding slowly, "Whatever the light is though, it truly is a beauty to behold whenever it's here. I think I'll stand and watch until it leaves again."

"You do that if you want." the general said cheerfully, "I'm going to return to my duties. You and the star enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks general." Neera said casually.

The armoured panda turned around and walked away, leaving the priestess alone to watch the "Angel Light" as it began to grow smaller. The last half hour of its visit was here and in thirty minutes, it would be gone and never seen again until next year on this exact same night. Neera clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and began to recite a prayer. She was thanking the heavens for the beautiful star and expressing her gratitude to the angels for sending such a gift. She also hoped that Avalice would receive the star's magical presence again next year and that heaven may bring more wonderful gifts to the world for the people to enjoy. Satisfied with how her prayer was going, she bowed her head and finished with an "Amen". Neera opened her eyes and watched the star continue to get smaller, determined to enjoy it until it was gone...

* * *

 _Space, miles above Mobius's atmosphere..._

While the Mobians down on the planet below were enjoying a strange but sensational sight in the night sky, somebody was not enjoying such a luxury. That somebody wasn't even sight-seeing or looking out for yearly phenomenons that occurred with no real explainable reason why they were occurring. He was working hard on his next invention, an invention that was being built in the one place that his arch-nemesis couldn't possibly reach him. Outer space itself. The man was grotesquely obese, his body shaped like an egg due to his over sized gut and he he had a thick, bushy moustache that bristled out from under his huge, pink nose. He wore a red and black uniform and despite his fat body, his arms and legs were surprisingly slender. He was the main enemy of Mobius and his name was Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. A mad scientist with an IQ of 300 and a thirst for conquest, Eggman was always conjuring up hair-brained schemes that were always foiled by Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends. His latest scheme that had involved teaming up with his past self to control a supernatural creature that he had dubbed the "Time Eater" had gone disastrously wrong after past and present Sonic had teamed up to battle it and he and his past self had ended up stuck in a white void for a brief time. He had managed to escape and come back to his own time and now he was building a new space station for him to take refuge in and also give him a sizable weapon to use against Sonic.

The space station itself was half completed, more than enough for Eggman to actually station himself on it until it was completed. There was a control room that was fully operational and the walls of the room were enough to shield Eggman and anybody onboard from the vaccum of space outside. The other half only needed some walls and some rooms adding and then the whole ship would be finished. The ship was egg-shaped and the front of it had "eyes" a "nose" and a "moustache" that were clearly meant to evoke Dr. Eggman's trademark features. The fat scientist had a massive ego and often named things after himself and his own logo was pretty much his own face. His ship was called "The Death Egg" but this wasn't the first Death Egg he'd ever built so he appropriately christened it as the Death Egg II. The ship would be the perfect base for Eggman to be housed in when it was completed and he'd wreck havoc on Mobius with it. It would have the necessary weapons to make people bow down to him, even the President of Westopolis. He sat comfortably in his seat, grinning to himself and stroking his moustache.

"Sonic and his impudent friends may have foiled my schemes before, but they'll never be prepared for the return of the Death Egg!" he crowed, "After all, it's not often I build the same thing more than once! Sonic will be less prepared for me because of it!"

He then turned his seat around and barked to two robots that were playing cards with each other.

"Orbot, Cubot! How goes the work?!" he shouted.

The two robots jumped to attention and saluted, shaking slightly. Orbot was a red coloured robot with red gloved hands and a spherical head. He could retract his limbs and body into himself to make himself a sphere. He had an upperclass English accented voice and was often rude to Eggman, often finding any opportunity to insult his boss. Cubot was a yellow coloured robot with yellow gloved hands and a cube shaped head. He could retract his limbs and body into himself to make himself a cube. His accent was always changing due to a faulty voice chip he had and he was considerably more dim-witted than Orbot was.

"You bellowed sir?" Orbot asked politely.

"Gosh durn it, ah do wish he'd yell a lil' quieter!" Cubot complained, his voice chip currently set to cowboy.

"Why is it I can never get that stupid voice chip fixed?!" Eggman muttered, "Anyway, how goes the work on my new Death Egg?"

"We were supposed to be keeping track? I thought that was your job sir." Orbot retorted.

"So you haven't been keeping track of my ship's progress like I told you to?!" the egg-shaped mad scientist growled.

"No sheriff, mainly because we didn't know that it was supposed to be our jobs." Cubot said sheepishly.

"I TOLD YOU TO KEEP AN EYE ON MY SHIP'S PROGRESS AN HOUR AGO!" Eggman bellowed, his face turning the colour of lava.

"Oh, in that case, we'll run a scan immediately!" Orbot said quickly, "Though again, it's your ship sir so you're supposed to be keeping watch on it."

"Anymore snark outta you Orbot and I'll have you dismantled!" the moustachioed genius growled.

"Oooh, dismantled! Ah don't think ya'll want the sheriff ta do that ta ya pardner!" Cubot said cautiously.

The red, sphere-shaped robot ignored his sidekick and retracted into his sphere mode. He rolled over to a section of the control panel and extended up from his base mode. He tapped some keys and waited as a full diagnostic scan was run over the incomplete space ship. After a few minutes, it was completed and Orbot turned to his master.

"It appears the ship is 54% completed." Orbot announced, "We should be done in a week or two sir."

"Yee haw! Now we're talkin'!" Cubot hollered.

"That's good progress indeed." Eggman purred, stroking his moustache gleefully, "I can almost see my ship launching its attack on Mobius right now! Then those fools down below will know what it's like to cross Dr. Eggman!"

"I believe they already do sir. What it's like to cross you involves Sonic getting involved and smashing everything you build. Everybody knows that." the snarky sphere-bot noted.

"Ah hate ta say it sheriff but mah pardner's right ya know..." Cubot said feebly.

"Bah! Even Sonic will fall victim to the Death Egg II!" Eggman declared, "And when I defeat him once and for all, ho, ho, ho...I have a nasty fate in store for him!"

"Hey sheriff, pardon me interruptin' yer villainous gloating but...what the heck is that?!" the yellow, cube-shaped robot exclaimed, pointing a quivering finger at one of the screens on the control panel.

Dr. Eggman raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was it that Cubot had spotted? It couldn't be Sonic and friends...could it? The scientist knew that Tails was an excellent builder, able to build aircraft that could combat his creations. Had he built a spaceship and was flying up here to stop him with Sonic onboard? Eggman glanced over at the screen. It was a surveillance camera mounted outside the ship, keeping a 24/7 watch on the void outside to make sure nobody was intercepting them. It wasn't a spaceship coming towards the Death Egg II, but a strange white light that was flashing just a few yards away from where the Death Egg II was positioned. Like the vessel itself, it was just above Mobius. Not close enough to enter the atmosphere, but not far up from the planet. The scientist's eyes widened behind his glasses. He even adjusted them to make sure he was seeing this correctly. His eyes were not playing tricks. It was indeed a bright light above Mobius. What was it? It looked amazing, and yet it had an air of menace to it.

"Fascinating..." Eggman gasped, "And yet...I feel I've seen that thing before...my grandfather Gerald once showed me something like that! I always thought it was a star in the sky...but it can't be! Orbot, scan that thing! I want to know what it is and if it's dangerous!"

The red robot nodded and tapped some keys on the control panel. He waited as the Death Egg II's long range scanners investigated the strange white light just several yards away from the ship. Eggman and Cubot stared over at the screen, wondering what the results were going to be. The screen flashed several times and a few bars ran up and down vertically as if searching every inch of the light for answers. The scan completed and the results came up on the screen. Orbot's optics scrolled up and down as he read the walls of text he was faced with.

"According to the reports...it's a non lethal, supernatural entity that occurs only so often. Yearly perhaps." Orbot announced, "It's quite harmless, it won't do any damage. But...it appears to be a portal of some kind. Like...a gateway to another universe."

"A gateway to another universe?! Shoot mah monkeys!" Cubot exclaimed, "What's causin' this weird ol' portal then?!"

"Nothing, it's a natural occurrence." Orbot corrected, "It isn't created and it isn't caused by anything. It just happens and that's it. The scans indicate that it won't be lasting much longer though, it'll disappear in about half an hour."

"Then we shall spend that half an hour investigating where this portal leads." Eggman decided, "Prepare the Death Egg II to enter that portal!"

Orbot and Cubot nodded and were quickly getting to work on setting the Death Egg II in motion. Dr. Eggman himself sat down in his seat and waited for the ship to start moving. He kept his eyes on the screen displaying the strange white light that was supposedly a portal to another world. What would be on the other side of that portal? Maybe a world full of power, power that he could exploit for his own gain. Maybe enough power...to defeat Sonic the Hedgehog at last...

* * *

 _Space, miles about Avalice's atmosphere..._

As the world of Avalice was preparing to sleep for the night, an unexpected visitor was approaching the beautiful blue and green planet. It was a visitor who would fall under the category of "unwelcome guest" upon sight. The late-night visitor was inside a rather monstrous looking ship that was tipped with spikes, heavily armoured and enormous in size. It was the kind of vessel that could level cities with ease and barely leave anything left of them once it entered the planet. The ship was known as the Dreadnought and was the flagship of an alien army commanded by a single, barbaric, sadistic warlord known as Lord Brevon.

Lord Brevon was a tyrannical being with little regard for life and a highly ruthless personality. He was well known for his savage might, his dangerous levels of intelligence and how brutally he finished off his enemies. Very few people who stood up to him made it back with their heads still attached to their bodies. Brevon was a green alien with a muscular body, heavy armour and a thick, brown cape that flowed behind him wherever he walked. His heavy boots made a loud stomping noise whenever he walked as if his mere footsteps were as terrifying as he was. He had a large unibrow perched between his eyes that was often ridiculed. That is until Brevon brutally slaughtered them and made sure that nobody ever insulted his appearance again. The warlord was the strongest, most powerful enemy that had ever been encountered by the alien group known as the Chasers. He had never been defeated in battle...until a month ago.

After crash landing on Avalice, Brevon had executed a rather complex, yet strategically brilliant plan to steal the Kingdom Stone without being suspected or noticed and had it not been for Torque's interference, he would've succeeded. But the Chaser Captain had informed Lilac and friends about him and that had led to his first ever defeat in battle. Lilac had sent him scurrying away while his ship was blown apart after beating him to a pulp. Ever since then, Brevon had been a laughing stock. Nobody took him seriously anymore, sneering at the idea that somebody as invincible as him was defeated by a mere child. An animalistic child no less. The vicious tyrant was determined to get his feared reputation back and this was why he was now above Avalice in the Dreadnought. He had long since built a new one after his original was destroyed last month and was now ready to invade. The green alien's evil red eyes narrowed as Avalice loomed in front of the cockpit window. In a matter of minutes, he would enter the planet's atmosphere and then lay waste to everything.

 **"At last...the world that ruined my reputation..."** Brevon purred, **"I look forward to seeing this barbaric planet burn to cinders as my Dreadnought unleashes its unmatched power on the world..."**

He turned around to face a cyborg snake and a robot servant that stood to attention and waited for his commands.

 **"Syntax, Serpentine, are you prepared for the invasion of Avalice?"** he asked.

"Certainly master!" the cyber-snake cried out gleefully.

"I am ready to make the ones who defeated you and destroyed your ship suffer sir." the robot droned emotionlessly.

The cyber-snake was Serpentine and the robot was Syntax. Serpentine was a green scaled snake with red eyes and a cyborg torso with fully-functional arms that allowed him to do things that a normal snake could never do. The cybernetics effected his brain, a side effect that Brevon had purposefully not told him about when installing them and they made him fanatically loyal to Brevon. It was something that the warlord was proud of, especially since Serpentine was very dangerous in a fight. He was trigger-happy and used his skills with guns and mechs to terrifying effect.

Syntax was a robot with a unique design, a green light symbolizing where her vision was and long green tendrils with blades at the end of them. Syntax was an invention of Brevon's and was loyal to no end to her master. She was his informant and interrogator, often reducing victims to quivering wrecks when she was finished with them. Syntax was also ferocious in a fight, often piloting mechas that carried powerful weapons and even had transforming abilities. She was an invention that Brevon was always happy with and her good work made her a valuable asset to his army.

 **"I'm glad to hear it."** Brevon boomed, his deep voice resonating around the room, **"For a month now, I have been mocked and jeered instead of feared and respected. But now, that changes! After tonight, things will be back to the way they should be. Are my ship's weapons primed and ready?"** he asked, glancing at his fembot servant.

"The armoury is 100% battle ready and waiting for your commands sir." Syntax replied, "The army will get themselves stationed when it's time to attack."

 **"Excellent!"** the gleeful alien cried out, **"Now remember this general, you are NOT to attempt to bring about the death of that dragon girl when we invade."** he added, pointing at Serpentine, **"Only I am allowed to kill that girl. She ruined my reputation, so she deserves death at my blade!"**

"Can I kill her friends instead?!" Serpentine asked eagerly.

 **"You can do whatever you wish with her associates."** Brevon promised, **"The dragon girl is mine but the rest are yours to do as you please."**

"Thank you master!" the general exclaimed, bowing down to his beloved leader, "I have some VERY fun ideas for those wretched animals! Ideas you might find invigorating to watch!"

 **"I'll make sure that I'm there to see them general."** boomed Brevon, **"Now get to your stations! We're ready to..."**

"Sir, forgive the interruption but the ship's scanners have detected a suddenly large amount of energy just above the planet's atmosphere." Syntax cut in, heading over to the cockpit window and glancing out of it.

 **"Energy...?"** Brevon mused, his brow furrowed with interest.

He glanced through the window and saw what Syntax had detected through the ship's scanners. It was fortunate for him that he'd decided to link up his servant bot with his ship for occasions like this. In a way, it made Syntax an effective alarm. He and his two henchmen stared out at what had been detected just ahead of them. There was a bright flashing ball of white light that seemed unnatural in where it was. It was certainly no star of any kind, at least none that Brevon had ever seen. It looked as if it had been made artificially. Brevon stroked his chin in curiosity.

 **"This light...I've never seen such a phenomenon before...what is it?"** he asked, turning to Syntax.

"Scans indicate that it is some kind of supernatural gateway. Where it leads to is a mystery, our scanners can't decipher it." the she-bot replied.

"Is it safe?" Serpentine asked worriedly.

"Scans do not register it as harmful or dangerous to our lives." Syntax responded, "We can enter if we so please."

 **"Do so! I'm quite interested in seeing what is on the other side of that rather invigorating portal..."** Brevon ordered.

Syntax obeyed and set the Dreadnought's course towards the white light. Brevon watched as the light began to expand and fill their cockpit window as they cruised closer and closer to it. He could feel the energy radiating from this mysterious gateway that he had come across by some miracle. Maybe this was a fortunate event. Maybe this would be just the thing he needed to make Avalice suffer. What was on the other side could be power greater than he had ever known. Power that he could use to destroy any and all of his enemies. Maybe the portal led to a new world for him to conquer or use the inhabitants to expand his army. The warlord was tingling with excitement as the Dreadnought entered the white, magical gateway. Whatever awaited him on the other side, it was going to be very interesting indeed...

* * *

 _ **And thus our plot is set up! Looks like Mobius and Avalice's worst enemies are about to run into each other! What will happen when they do? Will they destroy each other? Will they team up? And what will happen to Mobius and Avalice if they do the latter? Find out in Chapter 1 as this epic crossover special continues...**_


	2. Chapter 1: Villains United

**Act 1**

 _Chapter 1: Villains United_

The Death Egg V cruised slowly and steadily towards the strange white portal. As the huge, half-finished, egg-shaped vessel approached the supernatural entity, the portal seemed to be getting bigger and bigger every step of the way. It was as if the portal had realized it had a visitor and was making sure that said visitor would be able to fit through it. This intrigued Dr. Eggman. It was like being invited in, and in such a welcoming manner no less. The Death Egg V would easily be able to traverse the fascinating, unexplained portal to another world. He was still wondering how the thing was able to exist naturally and not be created in anyway. It was a miracle of nature and he was the scientist that was going to study it and find out all he could about it. This could be a scientific breakthrough! Something that he could use to gloat to the scientists of Mobius and make them feel lesser and inferior to his superior genius and intellect! The moustachioed robot-maker focused on the screen showing what was going on outside as finally, the Death Egg V entered the portal. The screen was filled with white as it cruised into the phenomenon. Eggman wondered for a moment if there was something wrong and that the portal didn't lead anywhere at all. But he quickly realized what it was. The white supernatural gateway wasn't just a quick jump from one world to the next. There was an in-between zone, a white void that linked the doors from one world to the next like some kind of space tunnel. He would just have to navigate this in-between zone and then he would end up on the other side. It was simple as that. Orbot and Cubot watched their progress, wondering how long it would take them to exit this zone.

"Well this is an interesting world doctor. It's nothing but white." Orbot muttered, "Are we in the middle of nowhere?"

"We are in the middle of something my sarcastic, snarky sidekick." Eggman explained, "In the middle of the portal we've entered and the portal we'll inevitably exit out of. The scanners even confirm there's an open portal at the end of this tunnel."

"Well that's good news mate." said Cubot, his voice chip now displaying a thick Cockney accent, "I wonder what'll be on the other side o' this tunnel guv?"

"Something fascinating I'm sure…" Eggman murmured, "Maybe something that can be used to bring Sonic's demise! Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"With you Dr. Eggman, it's always doom and gloom isn't it?" Orbot sighed.

"Only when it comes to how to get rid of my enemies!" the mad genius declared.

"Oy guvnor! Any ideas on what that menacing looking thing up ahead is?" asked Cubot, pointing to the screen with his gloved hands.

Dr. Eggman stared at the screen, wondering what Cubot had just spotted now. It was funny how Cubot was the dim-witted one and yet he seemed to be spotting everything all of the sudden. Maybe he had a better eye than he had anticipated. Eggman's eyes widened as he saw that it was his cuboid hench-bot had seen. The Death Egg V was not alone in the in-between zone. There was another ship coming through the portal, this one at the end of the tunnel. It seemed that he wasn't the only one who had spotted the portal. The world at the other end seemed interested in it too. Was this ship a friend or a foe? Eggman wasn't sure but he knew that he couldn't start a fight with it. His ship wouldn't last a minute given it wasn't completed yet. He would have to hope that the ship had friendly crew aboard. He admired the ship's rather menacing design. It looked very hi-tech and very, very powerful. Maybe the world at the end of the white space tunnel had a mad scientist like him. Maybe one as intelligent and ambitious as he is. If so then he could probably make friends with this person.

"Looks like the other world wants to see this place too." Eggman deduced, "We'll investigate and see what the crew onboard are like. If they're unfriendly then we'll have to retreat."

"A wise idea boss." Orbot agreed.

Over on the other ship, which was the Dreadnought, Lord Brevon was staring right ahead through the cockpit window as everything turned white and he found himself in what appeared to be a white limbo of some sorts. He had been pleased to see that the portal had expanded to let his ship through having been concerned over whether the Dreadnought was too big or not. He could've brought his entire army through the portal if he wanted. It would've expanded enough for his whole fleet to enter. Brevon deduced that the portal was meant for travelling through and that it would grow in size if it needed to let more people through. Unusual for a supernatural entity to be this welcoming, but very fortunate indeed. The warlord looked around as the Dreadnought entered the in-between zone. It was white all around and he wondered if that was where the portal led, just nothing but white.

 **"Syntax, is this where the portal was meant to take us?"** he asked curiously.

"Negative sir, the scanners indicate that there is another portal at the end of the limbo. This is merely an in-between zone." Syntax explained.

 **"Then we'll have to traverse the tunnel and reach the other side."** Brevon declared, **"Any ideas on what world we'll be coming across at the end?"**

"It is too early to decipher that sir." the she-bot replied.

 **"No matter then, we'll find out when we exit this in-between zone."** the armoured alien decided, **"Keep the ship on course and don't steer in any direction. We must keep going straight."**

"If we don't keep going straight, will something terrible happen?" Serpentine asked.

"In-between zones are unpredictable. Going off course and lead to disastrous consequences." Syntax stated matter-of-factly.

 **"Indeed, which is why we'll keep our course and exit this limbo."** Brevon said with a nod, **"And whatever is at the end of the tunnel…we'll see if it can help us in anyway."**

"Hey, my lord, what is that out there?!" Serpentine suddenly exclaimed, pointing a metal finger at the cockpit window.

Brevon glanced in his general's direction and saw what he had spotted. He hadn't been expecting to run into anybody whilst traversing this in-between zone. It seemed the world on the other end of the portal had taken an interest in it too. Brevon's eyes narrowed as he took in what was coming towards him. There was a huge egg-shaped vessel just ahead, half-completed with the entire front half solid and completed but the back half still awaiting completion. It had a "face", albeit a rather ridiculous looking one. Huge "eyes", a huge "nose" and a "moustache". This was clearly the ship of somebody who was very proud of his face and wanted his technology to carry it around everywhere he went. Brevon himself had no such arrogance but he could understand the pride one would feel in displaying his or her face on everything. He felt pride whenever he conquered worlds or built new technology to use against his enemies. The warlord put a hand to his chin in thought.

 **"It appears we are not alone."** he murmured, **"The world at the end of this limbo tunnel must be interested in seeing where this leads to. Maybe we should let him through and see if he'll help us destroy Avalice."**

"I thought you wanted to do it yourself my lord?" Serpentine questioned.

 **"It never hurts to have a distraction to take most of the impact for us while we come in for the kill..."** Brevon purred menacingly, **"Although the people aboard that ship won't last very long. It doesn't look like it's finished yet."**

"Maybe the Avalicians could focus on that in the invasion and thus, we'll have less resistance to attack us." Syntax suggested.

 **"A sound idea."** Brevon agreed, **"Establish radio and visual contact with the ship. I'd like to know whom we're up against and see if they're hostile or not."**

Syntax obeyed and began tapping into the ship's central controls. She set up the communications systems and pressed a button that caused a screen to open up in front of the cockpit window. The Dreadnought stopped, the distance between it and the Death Egg V about two yards now, and Brevon waited as visual contact was waiting to be fully established. The screen was blank for a moment but in a matter of moments, visual contact was established. Brevon was met with the face of the Death Egg V's pilot. He was unimpressed by the sight of him but if he wanted to have this man be a distraction for the Avalicians so he could destroy the planet, he wasn't going to be rude about it. Bad manners didn't make good alliances and he knew it.

Over on the Death Egg V, Dr. Eggman was rather surprised to see that the other ship wanted to talk to him. Brevon's face appeared on the screen in front of him and Eggman took a moment to observe him. He had never seen anything like the nefarious world conqueror before but he knew that it was hardly surprising that aliens existed anymore given he had tangled with Black Arms, Wisps and the Time Eater, all alien species and races. He had a feeling that Brevon was one impressive creature given the size and power of his ship and how intimidating the alien himself looked. Was this what the people of the other world looked like? And were they all this tech savvy? If so then he had stricken lucky. This was somebody he could make friends with easily. Eggman tried not to look nervous as he cleared his throat and sat up in his chair.

"Greetings pilot of the ship ahead of me!" he said cheerfully.

 **"Greetings to you too."** Brevon replied, **"My name is Lord Arktivus Brevon and I am the owner of the ship you see before you, the Dreadnought."**

"Lord?" Eggman murmured, "That's fascinating. Do you have an army of sorts then Lord Brevon?"

 **"I do indeed."** the warlord replied, **"I am a conqueror of worlds and slayer of thousands upon thousands of heroes in the galaxy. My galaxy at least. Who are you and where are you from?"**

Eggman took a moment to take in what he'd heard. This Brevon fellow was a world conqueror like he was! But it seemed he actually succeeded at his job, unlike him. This could work to his advantage. And the fact he was a slayer of heroes was interesting indeed. He could probably help him be rid of Sonic the Hedgehog. Grinning, Eggman continued the conversation while Orbot and Cubot stood by and listened.

"I am Dr. Ivo Robotnik, but I'm also known as Dr. Eggman." the fat scientist explained, "I am from the planet Mobius and I have come from Mobius's galaxy into this zone to see what is on the other side. Is it your world by any chance?"

 **"No doctor, it is a planet I wish to destroy."** the warlord replied, **"It is a planet called Avalice."**

"Avalice? What's that world like?"

 **"It is a world populated by filthy animal creatures and is powered by a gem that feeds energy to the world. They call it "The Kingdom Stone". I tried to steal it to power up my ship after it crash landed on Avalice. But I was stopped by one of the locals."**

"And that would be?"

 **"An impudent, irritable dragon girl and her feline and canine sidekicks!"**

Eggman nodded. Avalice sounded very similar to Mobius. Maybe he could conquer that world and make it part of the Eggman Empire too just like Mobius. But Brevon wished to destroy the planet. He would have to betray him at some point to make sure that he didn't destroy a potential second place to establish his beautiful empire. It also seemed that Brevon had the same problem he had, annoying humanoid animals getting in his way. Maybe an alliance with him would be easier than he thought.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Eggman said, feigning sympathy, "I have a similar problem myself."

 **"Is Mobius populated by animal creatures?"** asked Brevon.

"Yes, but it's populated by humans too, which is what I am." the doctor explained, "But the humans are no threat to me and they won't be a threat to you. It's the animal people, the Mobians, that get in my way! I have to deal with an impudent, irritating hedgehog named Sonic! He's always destroying my tech and making a fool out of me with his namesake super speed!"

 **"This Sonic person sounds as troublesome as the dragon girl who ruined my reputation..."** the alien warlord mused distastefully.

"You have no idea sir." Orbot cut in, coming out from behind Eggman so Brevon could see him, "Sonic's always making a total fool out of our master. He's always bombarding him with cheesy jokes and one-liners and breaking his robot creations to pieces with his spin-dashes. And then Eggman's always left ranting and raving and pulling on his moustache and shouting until the walls fall down."

"It's true guvnor!" Cubot chipped in, "You should see how funny he looks when he throws a tantrum o'er his losses at Sonic's hands!"

Eggman was beginning to go red with anger while Orbot and Cubot were spouting humiliating facts about him. He noticed that Brevon seemed to be taking the conversation with nothing more than a straight, unimpressed face as if he didn't think any of this was funny in the slightest. He looked almost bored. Eggman grabbed his two hench-bots by the arms and yanked them away from the screen.

"That's quite enough of you two annoying twerps!" he yelled, "Go roll away and leave me and Lord Brevon in peace!"

The two robots obeyed and retracted into their base forms. They rolled away from Dr. Eggman and left the room so that their master could continue his conversation with Brevon. Now they were gone, the fat doctor turned back to face the alien world conqueror and forced a smile to his face.

"Ignore Orbot and Cubot if you please, they're just a little...childish. They're just playing around that's all." he said sheepishly.

 **"I think you ought to reprogram those robots with a more sensible personality."** Brevon sniffed.

"I could try that in the future..." Eggman sighed, "What about you? Do you make robots?"

 **"Half of my army is composed of robots as well as alien soldiers."** the alien boasted, **"My servant bot is right here with me if you'd like to meet her."**

He leaned aside as Syntax hovered into view. Eggman stared at the robot in wonder, amazed at the sight and build of the fem-bot servant. Brevon's tech looked as if it had its own unique build and appearance, something he always admired in a scientist. If they could make their inventions look distinct, it meant they were very creative.

"Hello sir. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Syntax said politely.

"What an interesting looking robot, and with such a reasonable etiquette!" Eggman praised, "What does she do?"

 **"She is my interrogator and my servant bot."** Brevon explained, **"She is quite a valuable asset to my army. She was able to inform me that this portal was safe to enter and thus, lead to our meeting."**

"Same with my robots." Eggman nodded, "So our inventions brought us to each other. It's almost as if we were destined to meet each other! And together, we could make our worlds pay for the embarrassments they cause us!"

 **"That was what I was proposing."** said Brevon, coming back into view as Syntax moved aside to let him take the centre again, **"I thought that since we have very similar problems, we could team up and rid ourselves of our problems so that we may make Mobius and Avalice pay for what they've done to us."**

"I would agree on such a proposal!" the doctor cried happily, "With our technologies combined, we could be unstoppable! But I will warn you Brevon, I will NOT make this alliance if you destroy Avalice. You see, I'm kinda interested in turning Avalice into a world of robots for myself to rule as well as Mobius!" he said firmly.

 **"Very well doctor, I shall spare Avalice for your benefit."** the alien lied, **"As for Mobius, will you raise any fingers if I conquer it?"**

"Actually, I was going to suggest a rather brilliant idea..." Eggman purred wickedly, his smile so wide that even his moustache had a hard time hiding it, "You know Brevon, how good would it be...if we could rule BOTH worlds together?"

Brevon raised his unibrow with interest.

 **"Explain..."** he said eagerly.

"You know this world is an in-between zone?" Eggman noted, "Well what if we brought Mobius and Avalice together into this in-between zone and fused the worlds together to make it one big world for us to rule? We could rule over both sides and this in-between zone would be our way of keeping it contained! They'd be trapped in limbo forever and we'd always be there to rule the world! You see, limbos like this have no time. We can live forever in here and always rule both Mobius and Avalice together! We'd never age, meaning our rule will be never ending!"

 **"It is true that limbos like this have those traits and that the impossible is possible in here. But won't our enemies live forever too since we'll be ageless?"** asked Brevon curiously.

"No, because limbos don't make us immune to being killed!" the doctor said excitedly, "We're ageless in here, but we can still die! It's just we WON'T die of age or illnesses since there's no time in here for illnesses to build up and we can't age! But we could still kill our enemies if we could! The limbo doesn't make us completely immortal!"

 **"In that case, I accept this idea."** the warlord said, **"I quite like the idea of living forever and ruling over a combination of two worlds. Avalice will suffer from my rule and Mobius can suffer from my rule too and you can build you empire on both sides if you so please doctor. And since our enemies can still be killed, we can kill them to prevent them from undoing our damages. We both win in this scenario so there is no reason for us to decline this alliance and offer!"** he cackled delightedly.

"I agree my extra-terrestrial friend!" cried Eggman, "So now we have our plan, we need a way of fusing the two worlds together!"

 **"Do you have a way of achieving this?"**

"I do. If we can get godly powers then we'll have the abilities to do as we please."

 **"We could control this portal and have it drag both worlds into this limbo."**

"Correct! And we could fuse both worlds together as we please!"

 **"I believe that the Kingdom Stone's energy could achieve this."** Brevon declared, **"It has enough power to give energy to a planet. It could easily give us much power. But we'd need more."**

"Which is why I propose that we steal a very powerful gem known as the Master Emerald." explained Dr. Eggman, "It is an emerald that is powerful enough to contain the God of Chaos himself and it keeps an island floating. Its power could be crucial to our plans."

 **"Sounds very interesting doctor..."** the alien warlord mused, **"And...I know how we can give ourselves the power to do what we want. How would you feel about the idea...of COMBINING both energies of the Kingdom Stone and the Master Emerald?"**

The doctor was impressed at his part-time comrade's idea. Why didn't he think of that? Brevon was clearly a very intelligent being. How lucky for him that he would be teaming up with the evil world conqueror to make this possible!

"That is a brilliant idea!" Eggman exclaimed joyfully, "With the powers of our world's gems combined, we could be Scientific Gods! We could bend the worlds into our favour and do what we please!"

 **"Indeed so doctor."** Brevon agreed, **"So when shall we begin the plan?"**

"Maybe next year since the portal will be closing soon." Eggman announced, "It only comes out yearly."

"Actually doctor, the portal has not gotten any smaller, nor is it making any kind of progress." Syntax announced, reading the scans of the Dreadnought, "It has stayed exactly the same as it has done since we've been in here."

 **"So the portal stays open if somebody is in it?"** Brevon asked, **"That is fortuitous."**

"Indeed...as long as we stay here, the portal has no choice but to stay open!" gloated Eggman, "It is an interdimensional gateway but it isn't allowed to close if there are people inside it! Genius!"

 **"So we can begin now..."** the warlord said sinisterly.

"Oh yes indeed." the doctor said wickedly, "Now then, I'll go over to Avalice and get the Kingdom Stone for you. You can come to my world and get the Master Emerald."

 **"A wise idea doctor. Our enemies are used to us, but not the other."** crooned Brevon, **"They'll be less prepared if we invade each other's worlds. But in order to keep the portal open for us, we need to leave our ships and our crews onboard. However, I have a solution. I could take Serpentine and Syntax in an escape shuttle and leave the Dreadnought dormant in here."**

"And I could do the same with the Death Egg II!" Eggman said excitedly, "I'll take an Egg Shuttle out of the portal and leave my crew and ship in here to keep my end from closing! Brevon, you're as brilliant as I am!"

 **"Yes. We do seem to have much in common in terms of intelligence and ambitions."** the alien purred, **"This is going to be a most profitable alliance indeed."**

"You're telling me." the doctor agreed, "I look forward to creating our merged world. I'll see you once I come back with the Kingdom Stone."

 **"Farewell for now doctor. And I shall return with your Master Emerald."** Brevon promised.

With that said, visual and audio contact was terminated and both villains were left alone to prepare for the invasions of each other's worlds. Grinning to himself, Dr. Eggman cackled as he got up out of his seat.

"Exploiting other's gifts for my own benefits, what could be more fun?" he crowed, "When that fool Brevon lowers his guard, ho, ho, ho, he'll be wishing that he hadn't been so stupid as to make an alliance with ME! Now time to prepare for the invasion of Avalice."

He left the control room and spotted Orbot and Cubot standing alone together in the corridor, clearly waiting to see if they were allowed to come back in at all.

"Orbot, Cubot, you're in charge of the Death Egg until I get back!" Eggman barked, "DON'T leave this limbo whatever you do! Staying put will keep the portal open until I get back!"

"OK then doctor." Orbot said casually, "Whatever you say."

"So what in the 'eck are you doin' then mate?" asked Cubot.

"Paying a visit to this world Brevon calls..."Avalice"..." Eggman purred softly, "Tell Metal Sonic to join me at Egg-Shuttle No. 8643! I want him to come too!"

Orbot and Cubot nodded and headed on back into the control room to take charge of the Death Egg while Eggman walked off to board the Egg Shuttle and set off for Avalice. He was very excited as he headed on down the corridors. A whole new world to conquer! A whole new world for him to make robots out of! And he and his new friend would be mixing their worlds together so that he would have one big Eggman Empire to rule over! Never before had the evil, egg-shaped doctor been so excited over anything before and he would savour every delicious moment of it...

Over on the Dreadnought, Brevon turned away from his screen and pointed at Syntax and Serpentine.

 **"You two are to join me in the attack on Mobius."** he ordered, **"If this "Sonic the Hedgehog" is as powerful as Eggman claims he is, it would be wise to have back up."**

"I would agree sir." Syntax droned, "I shall get a mech and follow you out of the portal immediately."

"I'll pilot a mech too!" Serpentine cried, "We'll follow you as you take the escape shuttle out of the portal! Who will man the ship while we're gone though?"

 **"The ship is in good hands. My crew can look after it just fine."** Brevon said confidently, **"Now let us prepare to pay Mobius a visit."**

"Yes sir! One more thing though...what about our new friend?" asked Serpentine curiously.

 **"He can join my army...as a slave! If he doesn't comply to my will, then he can join Avalice in death!"** the deep-voiced alien declared.

Serpentine nodded, pleased to hear this. He had a feeling that Eggman would try and stab them in the back later so it was good that Brevon was already planning to dispose of the mad doctor. Also Brevon was not somebody who liked to share a world he conquered with anybody. He would rule the Mobius/Avalice fusion without Eggman. That would be more than enough to fix his damaged reputation. With the plan in motion, Brevon, Serpentine and Syntax left to get ready for the invasion. Ruling a fusion world. Making Avalice suffer in the process and getting to show another world in another galaxy how dangerous he was. Brevon had a feeling that this whole ordeal was going to be more fun than he'd ever had before in his life...

* * *

It was morning on Mobius and Avalice once again. To the two villains who had entered the inter-dimensional gateway though, it felt as if minutes had passed rather than a whole night. That was because the limbo had no time, meaning that any time spent in there passed really quickly or slowly depending on the wills of the people occupying the in-between zone. Eggman and Brevon had thought that it'd be best if their plans were executed in the morning of their worlds so that everybody would be awake in time to see the terror of their plan. It would be more satisfying that way to have every scared and confused over what was happening. Thus they had willed time outside the limbo to pass really quickly and now it was morning on both worlds. Nobody on either world would see the still glimmering white portal that they thought was a star though. The portal was only visible to the naked eye when it was night time. It was too bright during the day to be seen.

Mobius was waking up to a rather beautiful sunny morning with a vast blue sky devoid of any clouds and the sun shining brightly. Sonic the Hedgehog, as usual, was up early enough to be in time to see the sunrise and go for an early morning sprint. It was his idea of waking up after a good sleep. Sonic rushed out of his home and sped off towards Green Hill Zone, one of his favourite places for a jog. His legs moved so fast that you couldn't see them. It was as if a blue and red blur was carrying him across the terrain. The wind rushed past him as he sped like a speeding bullet through the grass covered terrain and headed towards the zone's famed loop-the-loop rocks. Were they a miracle of nature or man made? Sonic didn't care, he just thought they were a tonne of fun to run through. They made Green Hill Zone one of his favourite places to run around in. Sonic rushed towards one of the famed rocks and whooped with ecstatic glee as he ran a full loop-de-loop around the inside of the rock. He was fortunate that he could run so fast, because his super speed made him able to accomplish such a feat. As Sonic reached the end of the loop-de-loop rock, he whizzed on at top speed and ran through another one. To him, it was like being a Mobian roller-coaster with no carriages or rails or anything, just him and all the momentum he needed. He finished that rock and skidded to a halt, throwing his arms up and whooping.

"Oh yeah, now that's what I call a thrill ride!" he cried, "Just the thing to get the sleep outta yer eyes!"

He then turned and ran off again, wondering what else he would come across on his morning jog. As he ran though, the hedgehog noticed something strange up in the sky. It looked like some kind of ship entering Mobius's atmosphere. What was it? Was it an alien invasion? Or was it something else entirely? Sonic watched it, unable to clearly make it out due to how small it was in the sky. He skidded to a halt so he could see it better. He peered up at the tiny thing in the sky. It couldn't be an alien invasion, the ship was too small. But as Sonic knew, appearances can be deceptive. The ship may look small but for all Sonic knew, the ship could be bigger than it looked. It only looked tiny because he was very far down below and the vessel was high up. The hedgehog began to feel a bad feeling in his quills, the kind that told him that trouble was on its way.

"I don't like the looks of this." he said grimly, "I'll have to take a look, make sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Sonic!" cried a voice that the hedgehog recognized.

He turned his head and saw Tails, Amy and Cream running up towards him. Had they come to Green Hill Zone for a morning jog and just happened to come across him? The hero of Mobius was sure of it but he was grateful. His friends could give him any help he needed if the mystery in the sky was too much for him to handle on his own. Plus Tails could maybe work out what it was.

"Hey, top of the morning guys!" Sonic said cheerfully, "You all waking yourselves up to?"

"Well yeah but Amy and Cream were having a run while I was flying." Tails said, "We ran into each other on our morning exercises and heard you sprinting through the loop-de-loop rocks."

"We came to see how you were." Amy added, "You having a good morning Sonic?"

"I was until I saw something in the sky." the hedgehog said grimly, "Look up there."

The three Mobians all looked up at the sky and spotted the ship cruising through the sky. It was getting bigger now, suggesting it was coming in to land at some point. It was still far away, clearly meaning that the ship wasn't going to land anywhere near Green Hill Zone. Tails watched it, interested in finding out what it was.

"It must be a ship from another world." Tails mused, "Wonder where it came from?"

"It's gonna land. The people on board must be wanting to pay a visit to our world." Amy deduced.

"I hope they're friendly!" Cream squeaked nervously, "Unlike all those other awful outer space visitors we've had before!"

"Only one way to find that out." Sonic declared, "Walk up to the ship, knock on the door and say "Hi, are you friendly?" to the crew onboard. Any ideas where it's gonna land Tails?"

The fox observed the ship's position in the sky and began to work out the angles and distance from where it was and where they were standing.

"Hmm...it's difficult to say exactly...but I'm estimating that it's heading towards Angel Island." the young genius suggested, "It's the right distance away from us to be heading there."

"Oh boy, ol' Knuckie won't be too happy to have visitors on his doorstep, especially the otherworldly kind." Sonic said, shaking his head, "Come on, let's investigate and see what we're up against!"

"Right behind you Sonic!" Amy cried, "If those aliens mean bad business then we'll give them what for!"

Tails and Cream took to the skies with the aid of their tails and ears respectively and flew off towards where the ship was heading. Sonic picked Amy up bridal style and ran off after them, holding tightly to the she-hog as she held tightly onto him. The two hedgehogs kept their eyes on the ship as it got closer and closer to the ground. Whatever it was, they would find out and the fact it was heading towards Angel Island meant that Knuckles would too. Who were the people on-board the vessel? And were they hostile? Sonic didn't care. To him, this was a new adventure for him. But at the same time, he hoped that the aliens were friendly. He hadn't seen many of them since the Wisps from Planet Wisp. It would be nice for Mobius to have friendly visitors for a change...

* * *

Over on Angel Island, Knuckles sat up and stretched as much as he could. He had slept well last night and was now just waking up to begin another day of guarding the Master Emerald. Many would've considered his job to be a total snore fest, but not Knuckles. He knew how dangerous it could be if the precious gem ended up in the wrong hands and thus, he took his duty with the utmost seriousness and even carried the pride that his ancestors before him carried when they had guarded the Master Emerald. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, ready to face the day once more. He smiled appreciatively at the beautiful view before him. This was what made his job so worth it. Angel Island always offered a nice view from its height, no matter what the weather was like. The morning sun made everything down below look radiant and joyful, the kind of view that Knuckles liked.

"Now this is what I call a nice morning." the echidna said to himself, "And I think I'll make the most of it. I'll just get myself some breakfast and do my morning exercises while also keeping an eye on the Master Emerald. Looks like the Night Sun was right again on this being a good day."

He thought back to seeing the beautiful star last night. It seemed that its presence really did always mean that a good day was in store for Mobius the next morning. It was a beautiful day and it looked as if it was going to be peaceful and quiet again. But those hopes soon ended up being dashed aside. Knuckles hopped off of the emerald shrine and was about to go off in search of breakfast until he heard something. It sounded like some kind of flying machine. But what kind? He turned around and saw that there was something coming towards the island. It didn't look native to Mobius, nor anything of Eggman's designs. It was alien and that made Knuckles's dreadlocks quiver nervously.

"Well this is unexpected. I sure hope that whatever's on that ship isn't here to cause trouble!" the guardian snarled, clenching his namesakes.

He watched as the mysterious ship came closer and closer to Angel Island. It was going to land on the island, that much he could tell from how close it was getting and the angle from which it was ascending. It couldn't be heading anywhere else. The sound of its engines grew louder and louder as it flew towards the emerald shrine and sailed over it. Knuckles watched as the ship landed on the ground. Now it was down, he could get a closer look at it. The ship was a reddish brown colour and had a strong fuselage and small swept back wings. It had a sleek design and looked small, too small to be packing an army of aliens inside. This was a scout ship of some sorts. Knuckles imagined there were only a few people inside of it overall. The echidna waited for a moment, not daring to get too close to the ship in case the inhabitants were hostile. Just before anything could happen though, the echidna heard some familiar voices behind him.

"Hey Knuckles!"

"Is everything alright up there?"

Knuckles turned around and saw Tails and Cream flying up towards the island with Sonic and Amy dangling beneath them as they carried them up by their hands. How fortunate that his friends had come to the island. They must've seen the spaceship too. The flying Mobians reached the island and put Sonic and Amy down on the ground just before Knuckles.

"Hey Knucklehead, how's it going?" Sonic asked.

"Angel Island's just gotten company." Knuckles muttered, motioning over to the just landed ship, "You came here for it yes?"

"We spotted it heading towards the island and decided to see what it was doing here." Tails explained, "And also to see what kind of company's aboard it."

"Looks like we're in time to find that out. Look!" Amy cried, pointing at the ship.

She had noticed that a docking door was opening up on the side of the shuttle and lowering down onto the ground with a mechanical hissing sound. The ramp touched the grass and for a moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly, a loud stomping sound was heard from inside the ship. Cream began to shake nervously, earning a comforting hug from Amy. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles stood close together, wondering what was going to come out of the ship. It sounded very big and menacing. Was it an enormous robot of some kind? The answer was not quite what Sonic had expected. The occupant of the ship emerged from inside the ship and walked down the boarding ramp. It was Lord Brevon. The Mobians gasped at the sight of the strange creature. It was definitely an alien of some kind but none that they had seen before. He didn't look very friendly and that alone set the alarm bells ringing in Sonic's head. Brevon took in what he was looking at and his face twisted into a cruel, mocking sneer. The Mobian race looked just as loathsome as the Avalicians. They looked even less remarkable in his eyes and he enjoyed how stunned and afraid they looked at the sight of him. Ruling Mobius along with Avalice was definitely going to be fun if this was how the people of this world reacted to him.

 **"So this is what a Mobian looks like…ha, ha, ha…very well."** Brevon crowed, **"I wonder if you'll be any easier to take out than my previous enemies."**

"Whoa this guy is easily not friendly!" Sonic cried, "Deep voice, scary appearance, wears a cape, says creepy menacing things…he may as well just wear a T-shirt saying "Hi, I'm a bad guy!"!"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?!" Amy growled, summoning her Piko-Piko Hammer to her hands.

 **"Who I am is not important to you animals, for your world will soon be mine!"** the alien declared, drawing out his trademark ooze-covered dagger, **"And I am here to steal a relic of this world known as the Master Emerald. I was told that this was the place to find it so if you could all stand aside and let me take the gem, I might let you all keep your heads."**

"You can get off my island you freak!" Knuckles bellowed, bashing his fists together, "The emerald stays here and if you wanna take it, then you'll have to go through me!"

"And the rest of us!" Sonic declared, "We don't take kindly to those who threaten our world Captain Unibrow!"

"Get out of our planet or you'll be sorry!" Tails shouted.

 **"If you want me to leave then you will have to give me the Master Emerald."** Brevon purred, **"But if you're not going to give it to me willingly…then I'll happily slit your throats in order to get it!"**

"Just try it gruesome!" the blue hedgehog shouted, "We've taken care of more gruesome villains than you before, we'll take you on!"

 **"I'd like to see you try…"** the warlord sneered, **"Me…and my associates."**

Sonic recoiled. Associates? It seemed that the stranger hadn't come alone. He could tell from the size of the ship that at least a few aliens could fit inside. But to his surprise, the aforementioned associates didn't come out of the ship. They instead came down from the sky. The Mobians all looked up and saw too huge machines flying down towards Angel Island. It was Serpentine and Syntax in their battle mechs. They had lagged behind Brevon and waited for him to give the signal to land so as to catch Sonic and friends by surprise. The Mobians all jumped back as the two huge machines landed down heavily onto the ground, making it shudder slightly. The five Mobians stared at their newly arrived opponents that now stood either side of Lord Brevon. Serpentine was in a huge, golden coloured mech that looked like a robotic dog of some kind complete with huge steel jaws and four legs. The cyber-snake was housed on the mech's back. Syntax was piloting a black mech that heavily resembled a mechanical scorpion with huge claws and a laser tail in place of a sting. Syntax herself rested where the scorpion's head would be. The mechs stood in battle-ready stances, preparing to strike. Sonic and his friends formed a defensive wall in front of the Master Emerald shrine, preparing to guard the gem with their lives.

"Oh look, you've got some robots for us to smash." Sonic sneered, "Number one rule about me dude: I'm an expert in smashing robots!"

 **"Then let us see how well you fare against tech that isn't what you're used to spiky creature…"** Brevon crowed confidently.

With a single roar, Brevon, Serpentine and Syntax all lunged forward to strike while Sonic and friends leapt towards them in a single leap…

* * *

Over on Avalice, Lilac, Carol and Milla crawled out of their tents and stretched, ready to face the day and enjoy the morning. They had had a wonderful sleep in their tents last night and were all well rested and ready for whatever the day had in store for them. They had all changed out of their pyjamas inside their tents and were now making themselves some breakfast. Lilac got out a frying pan and put some sausages on it so she could cook them over the campfire. Carol lit up the fire and Lilac held the pan over it to let the sausages cook. Milla watched, making sure that the dragon didn't overcook them or burn them. Lilac wasn't very good at cooking but Milla was so she could help Lilac prepare their breakfast. A few minutes passed by, the sausages turning browner and browner over the campfire as they cooked and the little dog glanced at them to make sure they were OK. They didn't look overcooked. Satisfied, she sat back as Lilac turned the sausages over to let the other sides cook. As they were being prepared, Carol got out some bread rolls so that they could have sausage cobs. The wildcat was quite fond of such a combo. She also got out some cups and a flask of orange juice for them to drink afterwards.

The girls took a quick moment to admire the forest as the sausages finished cooking. It was simply beautiful today. There were very few clouds in the sky and the sun was shining brightly. There was a cool breeze blowing through the leaves above them but it wasn't too cool. It was simply enough to stop the day from being too hot. What a morning to wake up to and a sign that a good day was in store for the trio. Lilac always enjoyed waking up to a sunny morning. It made her feel good inside. The dragon then glanced down at the pan and noticed that the sausages were looking very brown indeed. She let Milla see them to see if they were done. The dog sniffed them and nodded. They were ready but there was one thing left to do before they ate them. Milla picked up a fork and poked it into a sausage. She cut it open to see if it was cooked inside as well. The inside was nice and brown too, meaning they were ready for eating.

"They're done!" Milla said gleefully.

"Thanks Milla." Lilac said, taking the pan away from the fire and using a fork to spear a sausage, "Enjoy the grub you two." she said brightly, smiling at Carol and Milla.

She grabbed a bread roll and put her sausage into it. She then passed the pan around to Carol so she could get one for herself. The wildcat put her sausage into a bread roll to and passed the pan to Milla. The dog got hers and made her breakfast sandwich too. There were three sausages left, meaning the girls could have one more sausage cob each after their first one. For a moment there was silence as the girls tucked into their breakfast. The sausages and cobs were delicious and the Avalician trio savoured every mouthful they had. It was a good breakfast to start off the day. After a while, they had finished their first sausage cobs and were quick to set up their second ones. As they made up their cobs and began eating them though, they heard a noise that broke the morning quiet and made them all stand up, their sandwiches still in hand. They knew what kind of noise it was. It was the sound of engines, most specifically rocket engines.

Lilac, Carol and Milla set down their unfinished sandwiches and ran off to see what was making the noise. They didn't need to go far though. They ran a few metres past the treehouse before spotting a small rocket descending down from the sky and coming in to land. The girls recognized the rocket. It was tall and missile shaped with four engines and had some writings on it. There was a love heart symbol, a paw print and a "Carol Wuz Here" sign written on the base of the rocket. The girls had put them there themselves. The rocket touched down onto the ground and the engines died out into silence. Then the docking ramp lowered and the rocket's pilot stepped out of it. It was a small green alien with spiky hair running down the back of his head and he wore some kind of suit that made him look like an intergalactic fighter. He smiled broadly at the three girls standing before him.

"Hi there girls." he said, "Picked a good morning to drop in didn't I?"

"Torque!" Lilac squealed excitedly, "Ohmigosh it's you!"

"Hey Torque, long time no see!" Carol cried gleefully.

"We've missed you! It's good to see you again!" Milla piped.

"Ha, ha, ha! Thanks you three, that means a lot!" Torque giggled modestly, "So how's things been with Avalice since Brevon was sent packing?"

"Very peaceful." Lilac replied happily, "Everybody's been really happy and we've had no real incidents since last month. We've really been enjoying it. How have you been?" she asked.

"Very well thanks." Torque said cheerfully, "Things have been pretty quiet after Brevon was defeated. He's losing a lot of respect he once had due to his loss and some aren't even scared of him anymore."

"Awesome!" Carol cried, "Glad to hear that Lord Eyebrows isn't so feared anymore!"

"Me too." the green skinned alien said with a nod, "Has anything interesting happened lately since I last saw you?"

"We saw a very big and beautiful white star in the sky last night!" Milla cried, "It got bigger and bigger and then went small again! I made a wish over it too!"

Torque raised an eyebrow in interest. A star that got bigger and then smaller again? He had heard of this before. He knew he had. His brain whirled as he tried to figure out exactly where he'd heard it before.

"Hmm…that sounds interesting. And yet familiar at the same time." Torque said quietly, "I've heard about such a thing before."

"You have?" asked Carol, "So I guess Avalice isn't all that special then?"

"Nope, it's something that occurs on most worlds in the universe from what I've heard." the Chaser captain explained, "I hear rumours that they're stars, angels or even something else entirely like portals that lead to other worlds. I'm not sure what exactly they are, but I can tell you this: they're harmless. There are no reported incidents of these phenomenons doing any harm to the planets."

"Good to know that it's safe." Lilac said graciously, "I wonder if it was an angel or a star or even a portal to another world."

"If I ever see one of those white lights again, I'll be sure to study it and find out for sure what they are." Torque decided, "So then, are you three up to anything at all?"

"We were just having breakfast until you arrived." Carol replied, "We had a campout last night in tents and all and just got up to have breakfast. Wanna join?"

"I've just eaten thanks but I'd like to see your campsite." the alien said kindly.

"Come this way and we'll take you to it." Lilac offered, taking Torque by the hand.

Torque was about to let himself be taken to the campsite until suddenly, a loud noise was heard overhead. It sounded unusually loud as if it wasn't very far away. The girls and Torque glanced up at the sky to see what it was. They could see an egg-shaped shuttle descending from up high towards them. The Chaser looked confused. He had never seen anything that looked like that shuttle before. This must be some new alien that he'd never seen before. Lilac, Carol and Milla all stared at the shuttle, wondering what was onboard and what kind of shuttle it was. It wasn't one of Brevon's was it? They soon received their answer as the Egg-Shaped shuttle landed just near Torque's rocket. It was gleaming silver and shone in the sunlight. It had four rockets and a single cockpit window for seeing out of. The shuttle was about three metres wider than Torque's rocket was but its height was smaller, being built in an egg-shape and being used merely as a scouting ship or escape pod more than anything. The girls and Torque held their breaths as the docking ramp lowered and the shuttle's occupants stepped out into the sunlight. The four all stared incredulously at what they were facing. They were staring at a tall, fat-bodied creature that they couldn't identify and a blue robot that was about the size of an average Avalician and had three quills, sharp claws and emotionless red eyes. They were Dr. Eggman and his killer robot weapon Metal Sonic. Eggman eyed the Avalicians and Chaser with keen interest and put a finger to his chin in wonder. He was so astonished at how similar the Avalicians looked to Mobians that he wondered if he was still on Mobius. But the presence of Torque made him think otherwise. Mobius never had people like him around. Eggman's smiled broadened from under his moustache.

"My, my, what fascinating creatures you are!" he chortled, "So this is what an Avalician is? You all look kind cute and cuddly if I'm honest. Unfortunately…I don't like cute and cuddly unless it's encased in metal and working for me!"

"Eep! Who is that scary man?!" Milla whimpered.

"I dunno, I don't even know what he is…" Torque murmured.

"Doesn't matter. He means business so we have to give him business!" Lilac declared, "OK you bald-headed, hairy nosed…thing! Who are you and what are you here for?!"

"I am Dr. Eggman, a human being from another world!" the scientist explained, "I came here through a white portal above your planet and I'm here to steal something that you call the Kingdom Stone! Where is it?!"

 _White portal? So that's what those phenomenons are…_ Torque thought.

"If you want the Kingdom Stone then tough luck big nose!" Carol spat, "The stone isn't a stone anymore, more like a vortex of energy that appears every so often! You want it then you'll have to find it! But you'll have to deal with US first!"

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!" Eggman chortled, "I'll happily take that challenge! After all, I didn't hope from one world to another just to leave empty-handed! I warn you though, fighting me is a big mistake little girl! I happen to be a genius, a genius who's intellect will easily far surpasses yours and I have machines that could tear your world apart!"

"Big friggin' deal, we've taken out an army of robots and aliens before!" the wildcat snorted.

"And they were way more threatening than you are!" Lilac declared, "If you don't want a black eye, I suggest that you get out of our planet and don't come back!"

"I don't think so…not without that gem's energy!" Eggman growled, "I'll fight you for it! If you can take out my glorious machine here," he motioned to Metal Sonic, "Then I'll leave. If you lose, then the energy is mine!"

"Fair deal." the dragon said casually, sniffing at Metal Sonic as if he didn't look like anything special in the slightest, "We'll destroy your pet robot and send you packing Eggman!"

"I sincerely doubt that my draconian friend…" the scientist gloated, "Metal Sonic, ATTACK!"

Metal Sonic obeyed and leapt towards the girls as if some animal instinct had been activated inside of him with that one single bellow. The girls braced themselves as their metallic opponent sailed towards them with his claws bared and his optics full of murder and death…

* * *

 _ **Oh, ho, ho! This is it! Sonic and Lilac are facing each other's arch enemies! Will they stop them? Or will Eggman and Brevon's plans succeed? Find out next time as the crossover continues...**_


	3. Chapter 2: Double Duel

**Act 1**

 _Chapter 2: Double Duel_

Lilac screamed as Metal Sonic came hurtling towards her. She jumped out of the way just in time as the killer Sonic robot clone swiped his vicious claws at her, missing her face by millimetres. The dragon even felt the air sweep across her face as her mechanical opponent missed. Whoever this Dr. Eggman fiend was, he certainly had a deadly robot working for him. She even thought that this machine could put even Brevon's deadliest machines to shame. She jumped back as Metal Sonic landed down on his feet, turned and glowered at his Avalician opponent with his blood-red optics. He knew straight away that he was against a fast opponent, maybe just as fast as or even faster than Sonic himself. He was built to best Sonic and if he could do that, he could surely take out this puny little dragon. After all, she could hardly be any worse than Sonic.

He even took a moment to scan her so he could use any data about her to his advantage, a tactic he had once used against Sonic and friends in his plans to become a robot overlord and finally defeat Sonic. In a matter of seconds, he had scanned Lilac and was surprised to see just how similar she and Sonic were in terms of fighting prowess and strength. Metal Sonic even thought that Lilac could be considered Avalice's equivalent of Sonic. This just meant he was even likelier to defeat her.

Baring his claws, the robot Sonic duplicate rocketed towards Lilac with his jetpack blazing and he came hurling towards her. The dragon girl was ready for him this time. As Metal Sonic came into range, the girl spun around on her tip-toes and swung her tendrils in a tornado like fashion. She hit Metal Sonic, sending him careening to the left and crashing down onto the ground face first. Lilac stopped spinning and watched as Metal Sonic skidded to a halt, building up a mound of dirt in front of his face, and lay still for a moment.

"Oh yeah, you show him what happens to those who mess with Team Lilac Little Miss Heropants!" Carol exclaimed.

"I have a feeling he's not down yet Carol, don't get too excited…" Lilac said cautiously, "I've gotta say, this Eggman person sure knows how to build a robot. That thing is fast!"

"I was scared he was gonna slash you when he charged at you!" Milla cried, "I hope he's not gonna try and attack us some more!"

The dog's hopes were quickly dashed to pieces as Metal Sonic picked himself up, showing no signs of fatigue or injury from the attack. Lilac's Dragon-Cyclone hadn't even left a dent or a scratch on him. The robot hedgehog looked as if nothing had happened! Team Lilac took a step back as Metal Sonic got back to his feet, scooping up the mound of dirt he'd built up on his skid across the grass. He then spun around and threw the dirt straight into Lilac's face, knocking her off her feet with the heavy impact of the slam and blinding her momentarily. The dragon cried out as dirt got into her eyes and she rubbed at them vigorously. Carol and Milla stood defensively in front of Lilac while she tried to get her vision back and Metal Sonic curled up into a ball. He spin-dashed straight into the girls and sent them both flying across the forest and into a tree each. Torque gasped and quickly whipped out his blaster gun and began shooting at the metal menace. Metal Sonic dodged every shot with ease and sped towards Torque with his hands open and ready to grab him. Torque flew up off the ground with his jet-boots and flew towards Metal Sonic. The Chaser whizzed through the air, closing the space between him and his opponent and just as Metal Sonic was about to strike, he back-flipped and walloped Metal Sonic in the face with his feet. The blow barely deterred the durable robot. All it did was make him back away and shake his head. Torque positioned himself correctly and let out a yell as Metal Sonic charged into him and threw a terrific punch straight into his jaw. The Chaser grunted as the punch nearly took his head off. He was amazed his jaw wasn't shattered by the punch as he landed sharply onto his back.

Metal Sonic then pinned Torque down and was just about to slit his throat open with his claws but Carol pounced on to his back and began throwing rapid fisticuffs into the back of his head. Metal Sonic took the blows and seized the wildcat by the wrists. He spun around and threw her straight into Milla, who was scampering on all fours towards the fight. The dog screamed and held up a shield to catch Carol. The cat hit it and landed down onto the ground, not knocking Milla over at the same time. Metal Sonic then turned his attention onto the magical puppy, speeding towards her and preparing to whisk her off her feet. Milla held up her hands and summoned a huge green block in front of her. She then willed the block to shoot forward and hit Metal Sonic like a speeding train whizzing towards the foolish person that stood on the tracks in its way. The block slammed into the robot and knocked him backwards. Metal Sonic however managed to backflip through the air and land down on his feet, skidding backwards to a halt. The attack had been strong but not enough to do any damage. Regardless, the robot vowed not to let Milla hit him again or she would do some damage. He curled up into a ball and spin-dashed towards her. The dog held up another shield but as she threw it at him, Metal Sonic ploughed straight through it and continued travelling towards her. Milla leapt aside but was too slow and sent spiralling sideways as Metal Sonic hit her below the waist. The puppy landed on her side and grunted, fighting back tears of pain. The robot careened around and came hurling towards her again, still in a spin-dash. But he was suddenly knocked aside by a Dragon-Boost from Lilac. To him, it was if he'd been suddenly hit by a trail of sparkles that had a whizzing dragon at the start of it.

The Sonic machine was slammed down onto his side by Lilac and the two rolled over each other on the ground. It was a mad case of roly-poly before Lilac sprang up onto her feet and kicked upwards, flicking Metal Sonic off the ground and into the air. The robot spiralled for a moment and landed down in a heap near a rose bush. The dragon panted and flipped her hair aside. Carol, Milla and Torque ran up behind her, watching as Metal Sonic lay still for a moment.

"Man he's tough!" Lilac gasped.

"I'll say, he makes Brevon's tin-can toys look like chumps…" Carol murmured.

"We'll have to destroy him before he can fight some more!" Torque cried, "And then after that, we can stop Dr. Eggman before he tries to get the stone's energy!"

"I sincerely doubt you'll manage that my new friends!" chortled a grating voice that sounded suspiciously high up, "After all, I've just got myself a head-start! Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

Team Lilac turned to see where Eggman was, suspicious about the fact his voice had come from up above. They saw to their horror that the obese scientist had boarded his Egg Mobile, a half egg-shaped vehicle with wings and jets in the back and was now up in the sky, ready to fly away in it. Metal Sonic was merely the distraction while he went off to find the Kingdom Stone's energy. He was already high up in the sky, about the distance of a hot-air balloon that's just taken off. Lilac cried out and Dragon-Boosted up into the sky after him.

"No! Stop!" she cried desperately.

She shot through the sky like a whizzing arrow, a train of sparkles twinkling behind her as she boosted. She reached out her hands and made a grab for the Egg-Mobile. But unfortunately, her momentum ran out and she began to fall back down to the ground, missing Eggman's Egg-Mobile by inches. The evil doctor grinned, pleased that he had taken off that few seconds earlier otherwise he would've had an unwelcome passenger aboard. The dragon girl plummeted down like a falling stone but she wasn't worried about crashing down onto the ground. She had ways of avoiding falls from heights like this. She spun around on the spot, activating her Dragon-Cyclone manoeuvre. The attack gave her semi-flight when she wanted and she could use it to slow down her falls. The manoeuvre worked as she spiralled like a spinning top in the air and her descent slowed and slowed as she neared the ground. She landed in a tree and hopped back down onto the grass in a single leap from its branches. Carol, Milla and Torque ran up to her as Lilac glared up at the sky, angered that Dr. Eggman was out of reach and was getting away.

"Damn! Eggman's evaded us!" Lilac growled, "We've gotta go after him!"

"But what about Metal Sonic?" asked Torque, "We can't just leave him to cause collateral damage!"

"We'll get that crazy fat man when he comes back to his ship!" Carol suggested, "For now, we've gotta stop short, bad and blue boy!"

"You're right, we can just stop Eggman when he returns." Lilac agreed, "Let's take care of his pet robot!"

She was then suddenly whisked off her feet as something blue and blurry whizzed into her and took her for a ride. It was Metal Sonic, back on his feet and still as murderous as he was when the fight started. Carol, Milla and Torque gasped in horror as Metal Sonic flew through the air with Lilac in his arms and then proceeded to fly upwards and throw her down towards them. He had flown just above the trees, a good distance to throw an opponent down if you wanted them dead. The dragon screamed as she hurled towards her friends like a meteor about to impact the earth. The ground rushed up, eager to claim her as the space between Lilac and the ground shortened. Torque flew up and caught Lilac in his arms before she could collide with anybody. He lowered her down and the dragon stood back up, dusting herself off.

"Whew, thanks Torque." she said.

"Welcome." the alien said, "So any ideas how to stop this thing?"

"The same way we destroyed Brevon's little toys...we break that abomination apart!" Lilac declared.

"Now THAT is my kind of plan!" Carol cried, "Let's wreck it!"

"And then we can stop the guy with the funny nose hair!" Milla piped.

Lilac nodded agreeably, eager to get this over with so she could stop Eggman from stealing Avalice's power source. Without the Kingdom Stone's energy, the planet would run out of energy and the Avalicians wouldn't be able to survive. The planet depended on her and her friends to save it once again. And to think she and her friends had done just that a month ago. The dragon, cat, dog and Chaser stood together as Metal Sonic spin-dashed towards them, ready to fight back and tear him apart...

* * *

Over on Mobius, Sonic and his friends weren't having any easier a time themselves. The hedgehog yelped as he dodged a deadly dagger slash from Brevon. Had he reacted two seconds later, his head would've been cut clean off. He even felt the air brush against his throat as Brevon swiped.

"Yikes! Watch it buddy, you could've taken my head off with that!" Sonic cried as he jumped up over the alien warlord's head.

 **"That was the intention foolish creature."** the alien warlord sneered.

He swiped at Sonic again, the ooze-soaked blade missing the hedgehog's cheek by millimetres as the hedgehog quickly leant to one side to dodge him. He had been surprised by the sheer strength of the armoured, caped alien he was now up against. Brevon was clearly one very powerful creature and Sonic knew that he had to end this fight and fast or the Master Emerald would end up in his hands and the hedgehog was not keen on the idea of finding out what he wanted it for. Anybody evil like Eggman or Brevon would always have bad intentions in mind for a powerful artefact like the Master Emerald. The hedgehog curled up into a spiny ball and he spin-dashed straight into Brevon, hitting him squarely in the chest armour. The tough armour protected Brevon from the impact but Sonic's attack had hit him hard enough to send him skidding backwards across the grass. Brevon shook it off, looking more amused than hurt by it.

 **"A good blow…but not quite good enough."** he gloated, **"You're not quite as strong as my draconian nemesis back in my universe…"**

"I think it might be wise you don't under-estimate me green-jeans." Sonic warned, waggling his finger, "I've done things that'll make your eyes pop and saved this world on many occasions. I'll stop you just like I always stop my other foes!"

 **"Then let's see what you've got hedgehog…"** Brevon sneered, trying his best to goad Sonic into getting overly confident and cocky so that he could cause him to make mistakes. Mistakes that would see his head separated from his body.

"Oh you bet I've got something for ya Baldy McEyebrows!" the hedgehog declared, smiling confidently, "And it's me kicking your butt at the speed of sound!"

Sonic bent down as if about to rugby-tackle his opponent and he sped towards Brevon, his feet moving so fast that they became a blue blur whisking him across the terrain towards his opponent. Unfortunately, the evil warlord was prepared for him. He had had plenty of experience fighting super-speedy creatures, especially Lilac. He knew how they worked. The alien jumped to the side in the split-second that it had taken Sonic to suddenly shoot towards him. This caused the blue Mobian hedgehog to miss completely and skid to a halt. The skid was brief but even brief was too long to stop fighting for. Brevon lunged towards his animal opponent at a speed that took even Sonic by surprise and just as the hedgehog prepared for another attack, the alien world conqueror suddenly swung his hand through the air and backhanded him across the face, whisking him off his feet and sending him flying into the Master Emerald shrine. Sonic grunted as he crashed into it, moaning as pain flared through his body. The evil alien laughed and then charged towards Sonic again. But to his surprise, the hero of Mobius sprung back onto his feet and suddenly threw a terrific punch to the shin that sent Brevon's head snapping backwards. Brevon staggered, reeling from the punch and Sonic then suddenly leapt up and yanked on his unibrow, nearly ripping it straight off of his head. The alien warlord gritted his teeth and held his pain as Sonic pulled on his unibrow.

"Seriously dude, look at those eyebrows of yours! They look sillier than Dr. Eggman's moustache!" he taunted, "Say, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you ripped Eggman's moustache off and glued it to your forehead!"

 **"You are beginning to try my patience you irritating little rat!"** Lord Brevon bellowed, kicking Sonic in the gut and slamming him against the emerald shrine to make him let go. The hedgehog grunted and yet as he was pinned against the wall, he still managed to crack a smile at his opponent.

"Rat, it's been a while since anyone's called me that!" he laughed, "Let me tell ya though, those who call me rat end up battered and beaten!"

He then gripped Brevon's foot and tried to push it away. But try as he might, his powerful opponent was too strong for him to budge. He grunted with effort but he couldn't make Brevon's foot move away from him. The menacing villain cackled and he withdrew his foot only to then slam it into Sonic's body again. As the hedgehog felt the wind get smacked out of him, Brevon suddenly lashed out and seized him with a huge hand. His hand closed around Sonic and he threw him towards the edge of the island. He hoped that he would slow Sonic down long enough so that he could make off with the emerald. The supersonic hero bounced off the ground and rolled towards the edge of Angel Island. If he went any further, he would tumble straight off the edge and fall a terrifying distance down towards the ground. Sonic dug in his fingers into the soil and fought hard to keep himself from going too far over the edge. He came to a stop just in time though his legs dangled over. Sonic scrambled frantically, trying to keep himself from falling off completely. He gasped as he saw Lord Brevon run up the shrine to grab the Master Emerald. He had to stop him and fast! He quickly pulled himself back onto the edge and he spin-dashed towards Brevon, becoming a spinning blur as he hurled towards him. Lord Brevon heard him coming but didn't have time to react as Sonic hit him squarely in the torso and knocked him off the shrine. The two hit the ground and sprawled over each other, punching at each other in their mad, deadly roll across the dirt.

Meanwhile, Knuckles and Tails were fighting against Serpentine and his hound-like mech. The fox and echidna circled their reptilian opponent and his canine battle machine, looking for a good place to strike in order to bring it down. The mech looked strong and well built, meaning that it had to be very resilient. Tails and Knuckles were sure that together, they could stop the mech but this opponent was new to them so they couldn't afford to be reckless, not when they didn't know what Serpentine had in store for them. The general in turn observed his opponents, waiting to see when they were going to strike and seeing if he could spot any weaknesses in them that he could exploit. But to his surprise, Knuckles and Tails launched the first blows.

The echidna sprang towards the mech as if a springing mechanism had activated inside him and he slammed both of his fists straight into the battle-machine's side. The general was so surprised at the power of Knuckles's attack that his mech nearly fell over. He just managed to save himself as he had the right legs stretch out to fight against the overbalance. Now he was right side up, Serpentine thrust the levers forward and the mech launched into attack mode. Its huge, steel jaws opened wide and snapped at Knuckles, nearly catching him but missing as the echidna jumped to the side. Tails flew in and kicked the cockpit window in hopes of breaking it so he could assault Serpentine. But the cockpit window was made of heavily reinforced glass. It would take a lot of hits in order to break it and time wasn't something that Tails had right now. He and his friends had to end this quickly before Angel Island lost its prized relic. The fox flew away so that he could change his battle-tactics but just as he passed over the mech's head, Serpentine commanded the robot to rear up. This sent its huge, heavy head swinging upwards and slamming into the twin-tailed fox, throwing him through the air and sending him crashing down onto the ground. Tails grunted in agony, rubbing his arms and head better. Knuckles growled furiously at what the reptilian gunslinger had done and he ran towards the canine machine with his fists clenched and ready for a punch. Serpentine ordered the mech to lunge for Knuckles and snap its jaws at him. The echidna jumped up out of the way and landed on the mech's head. But that was what Serpentine wanted him to do. Grinning confidently, he then pulled back on the levers and the mech's head flicked straight up, throwing Knuckles into the air. The guardian yelled, waving his arms around frantically as he was thrown upwards. He managed to save himself a nasty impact by using his dreadlocks to glide down to the ground. He touched down but just as he landed, Serpentine charged straight into him like a thundering Triceratops and whisked Knuckles off of his feet.

Tails forced himself back on his feet and cried out as the huge canine-shaped mech threw his spike-fisted friend around. He had to do something and fast! The fox took to the air with his twin-tails and he flew towards Serpentine. He raised his feet and kicked the mech in the back of its right hind leg. His kick was just strong enough to make the leg buckle slightly, causing the mech to lean to one side. Serpentine righted himself but just before he could strike back at Tails, the fox flew towards the cockpit window and tail-whipped it. The window withstood the attack but it had made Serpentine jump, distracting him long enough for Knuckles to pick himself up and throw an uppercut directly into the mech's jaw. Its head snapped upwards and the whole machine stumbled backwards slightly. Tails then flew behind the mech and tail-whipped its back legs. This caused the heavy machine to stumble over onto its bottom with a heavy thud. Knuckles pounced onto the mech's head and began punching at it in hopes of destroying it. But Serpentine pulled back on the levers and the mech's head flicked him up into the air again. Tails however was on hand to catch him this time, flying up and grabbing Knuckles before he could land into danger.

"Whew, good catch Tails!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Thanks." Tails said modestly, "I've gotta say, that mech is tough! It could give Eggman's machines a run for their money I swear!"

"Well we've taken down his machines so we can take down this one!" the stubborn echidna declared, "Throw me at him Tails!"

The fox obeyed and began to swing Knuckles around and around in a circle through the air. Serpentine glanced up, wondering what his opponents were doing. He soon found out for Tails threw Knuckles straight at him as if lobbing a rugby ball across the pitch. The spike-fisted Mobian hurled down towards the general like a red-furred, spike-tipped missile and he crashed straight down on top of the mech's cranium. The impact sent a shockwave that made the control panel and Serpentine shudder and a huge dent was left atop the mech's huge head. Knuckles leapt back from his opponent and punched the air triumphantly. He and Tails might just win this battle after all. It wasn't over yet though. The mech's head was damaged but the machine was still very much functional and ready to chomp up the two Mobians it was faced with. Gritting his teeth, Serpentine thrust the levers forward and the enormous machine bounded towards his enemies like a wolf ready to leap on the unsuspecting deer it was stalking…

Meanwhile, Amy and Cream were battling against Syntax and her Mecha-scorpion body. The pink hedgehog had her hammer in hands and Cream and Cheese stood together, ready to attack. Syntax had her laser-shooting tail poised and ready to shoot at the two, a blue light building up in the tip and preparing to fire. The two girls were ready for it. Having been in combat against Dr. Eggman for so long, they were used to lasers and knew how they worked. They jumped out of the way as Syntax fired a killer shot at them. A huge blue electrical ball shot out from the mech's tail and hit the spot where the hedgehog and rabbit had been standing just moments ago. If it had hit them, it would've vaporized them. Amy charged towards the side of the scorpion machine but Syntax turned and fired another shot at her. Amy threw herself onto the ground as the shot sailed towards her. It whizzed over her head and hit the ground just a few metres away. Cream and Cheese flew towards Syntax, aiming for the she-bot herself but then the tail turned and aimed at them. Screaming in terror, Cream and Cheese flew out of the way as the mech fired another shot at them.

"Little animal specimens, if you would be ever so kind as to stand still so that I may vaporize you, I would very much appreciate it. Thank you." the servant bot droned.

"Sorry, we don't follow stupid orders like that!" Amy snapped, "How about YOU stop shooting at us so we can destroy you? That would be very nice of you!"

The furious hedgehog sprang towards her opponent and uppercut her in the face with her Piko-Piko hammer. This caused Syntax to rear up and stumble backwards but she kept her footing and positioned herself correctly for another attack. The scorpion body's huge claws reached out and snatch Amy up and crush her but Amy just hammered the claws aside to keep them away from her. She ran towards Syntax again but was quick to turn around and run away as the scorpion's tail charged up another shot and fired at her. Cream flew in from behind the mech, reasoning that if Syntax was the mech's "head" then she wouldn't be able to see behind her. She landed on the mech's back and ran towards the head section. She wondered that if she kicked Syntax hard enough, she could detach her from the mech and make it useless. The rabbit raised her foot and slammed it callously against Syntax, kicking as hard as she could. Her plan ended up failing miserably as Syntax reached above her with a giant claw and seized Cream. She lifted the young child off of her head and threw Cream across the island. Cheese flew after his owner, hoping to catch her before she had a nasty impact with the ground. Amy gritted her teeth angrily and ran towards the fem-bot, her hammer poised and ready for another slam. Syntax fired another shot at her from the scorpion's tail but Amy pole-vaulted up out of the way with her hammer and sailed over the shot and towards Syntax. She swung her hammer down and slammed it straight on top of the robot's dome section. Syntax stumbled backwards as a thin crack spread out across the dome section of her body. She couldn't let that be penetrated or her vital workings would be exposed. Amy flipped her hair aside casually.

"Here I go again, shattering expectations!" she crowed.

Syntax narrowed her optic at Amy, determined to make her pay for that. The mech's claws bared and the tail poised, she skittered towards Amy on her huge, six metal legs and prepared to grab her. Amy ran towards Syntax again, which proved to be a big mistake for she just ended up putting herself in range for the fem-bot to seize her. The giant metal claws lunged out and grabbed the pink coloured hedgehog, picking her up and causing her to drop her hammer. She cried out feebly as the claws began to tighten their grip on her, threatening to cut off her air supply and crush her to death. But she was saved from that by a timely intervention from Cream. The rabbit threw Cheese straight into Syntax's optic centre, blinding the robot momentarily as the Chao hit her and causing her to let Amy go. The hammer-swinging heroine dropped down onto the ground, rubbing herself better and running over to retrieve her hammer. She grabbed it but Syntax regained her vision and smacked her and Cream across the island with her claws. The two girls were thrown into a patch of soil and they skidded to a painful halt across it. Grunting, the two Mobians picked themselves up and readied themselves just as Syntax came at them again, firing another shot from her tail…

* * *

Back on Avalice, Dr. Eggman had flown up pretty high into the sky and was glancing at his radar screen as he searched for the Kingdom Stone. Given the fact it was no longer a stone according to Carol, Eggman supposed a better name for it would be Kingdom Energy. His Egg-Mobile was way up high, far too high for anyone down below to reach him so he had all the time in the world to scan the place for the energy. Using scientific mathematics and reasoning, he deduced that the energy would likely not be in one particular place and that it could be anywhere. He glanced at his screen, watching as it scanned for any traces of energy. The screen bleeped softly, showing that it was nearby. Eggman was surprised. He hadn't thought it was going to be this easy to find but he didn't dare complain about it. With he and Brevon teaming up to make a fusion world that he was going to then rule by himself, he could afford an easy mission at this point. He briefly wondered as to how well Metal Sonic was doing now. Was he handling the Avalicians well? He hoped so. He didn't think he'd live with himself if his precious robot creation got destroyed by Lilac and friends. If Sonic ever found out, he'd never take him seriously again. The doctor focused back onto his scanner as it led him to the left slightly and told him to go straight on.

The Egg-Mobile cruised gently through the sky as if Eggman was on a calm little Sunday flight rather than on an important mission of any kind. His screen bleeped more furiously as he followed the directions of his radar and then suddenly, Eggman could see something twinkle just faintly ahead of him. If this was night time, he'd be seeing this a lot more clearly. The Kingdom Energy was right ahead of him, swirling over Dragon Valley as if bestowing any of its energy to the trees and people who lived in the valley down below. It was a beautiful sight though the bright sunshine made it hard to see properly. Eggman didn't care. He had found what he had come for and that was the most important part. Grinning to himself, Eggman flew closer to the swirling vortex ahead of him.

"The energy readings are off the charts!" he exclaimed, "This Kingdom Stone must've been powerful if this is all of its energy swirling around! And its energy…that I can use!"

Laughing gleefully, he deployed some kind of gun-shaped object from his Egg-Mobile and used it to absorb all of the Kingdom Energy. The energy conductor had been installed in case Eggman ever wanted to drain the Chaos Emeralds and stop Sonic from using them or if he could find any energy on Mobius that he could use to his advantage. It was lucky he had done. He watched as the blue, starry mass was sucked up into his flying machine like dust being sucked into a vacuum cleaner. Eggman watched as the energy gauge on the screen began to fill. It was already half full and he'd only just started! Who knew what would happen if he combined this kind of energy with the Master Emerald! He even wondered if Brevon had succeeded yet, making a mental note to check on that once he got back to the Death Egg. In a matter of moments, the energy conductor had sucked up all of the Kingdom Energy and now Eggman could retrieve Metal Sonic and head off home.

"Ah, I love it when things go well for me for once…" he sighed, "I can't wait to see what will happen when we put our plan into action!"

He turned his Egg-Mobile around and flew back towards his landing site…

* * *

Meanwhile, Metal Sonic and Team Lilac were still locked in combat. The girls and Torque had given their all but Metal Sonic clearly refused to give up in the fight. He spin-dashed straight into Lilac and slammed her hard against a tree. So hard that he nearly knocked the tree over with the impact of the slam. Lilac grunted, feeling the wind being sucked out of her body by the blow and slumping down against the stump of the tree, fighting for breath. Metal Sonic stood in front of her and was about to claw her across the throat. But Carol saved her friend from a grisly fate by running in and throwing rapid kicks into the side of Metal Sonic. The robot grunted, surprised at how hard Carol could kick. She then twirled around and roundhouse kicked Metal Sonic in the side of his head, pleased to feel her foot slamming against metal. Metal Sonic staggered but the killer robot wasn't down for the count, not by a long shot. He turned to face Carol and fired his torso laser, hitting her squarely in the stomach and throwing her backwards. The wildcat screeched as she was shot and she fell onto her back, clutching her belly in pain.

Lilac growled angrily, livid to see Metal Sonic hurting her best friend like this and she proceeded to Dragon-Boost straight into him. The robot had no idea what had hit him as he was suddenly whisked off his feet and sent flying. Milla stood in his way but she held up a shield and waited until he crashed into it. As he hit the shield, the dog thrust her arms and threw Metal Sonic away from her. Torque then whipped out his gun and shot Metal Sonic three times as he hurled towards him. The shots threw Metal Sonic onto his back and lightly managed to damage his arms and forehead. It was superficial and wouldn't slow him down in the slightest. But the Sonic-like machine knew full well that cracks meant chances of getting damaged some more. He had to end this now.

He stood up again and glowered at his opponents. Team Lilac all stood together, ready to attack once again.

"Give it up Metal Sonic!" Lilac snarled, "Unless you want us to donate your parts to the scrapyard!"

"I'm sure they'll pay us handsomely for pieces of you tin-man!" Carol sneered.

The robot hedgehog ignored their threats and rocketed towards them, his jetpack blazing as he rushed towards his enemies. Lilac ran towards him and then twirled around in a Dragon-Cyclone. Unfortunately for her…Metal Sonic proceeded to mimic her attack. He jumped up and spun around like a spinning top towards the dragon. Being a robot and all, his attack was harder as they collided with each other. Lilac cried out as she crashed down into the ground and Metal Sonic spin-dashed towards Carol and Milla. The dog held up a shield to protect herself and Carol but Metal Sonic smashed through it and knocked them down onto their backs. Torque flew after him but was quickly kicked aside as Metal Sonic turned around and roundhouse kicked him across the face. He groaned as he hit the dirt and let himself lie down a moment before getting back up. Metal Sonic bared his claws, ready to attack again but just before he could do so, he heard the Egg-Mobile approaching and turned to see his master arriving back at the landing sight. He had a feeling he knew what that meant and sped over to Eggman to see if he was right.

"Metal Sonic, we've got the energy! We can get outta here!" Eggman cried happily, "Come on!"

The robot Sonic duplicate obeyed and he darted straight into the Egg-Shuttle with Eggman. Once they had boarded the shuttle, Eggman got out of his Egg-Mobile and sat down at the controls. He quickly boosted up the Egg-Shuttle's engines and began flying off into the sky, leaving Team Lilac to watch him helplessly as he escaped from them. The egg-shaped shuttle flew up and up until eventually, it disappeared up into the clouds, no doubt still going up in order to leave the planet completely. Lilac's face fell in despair and she stomped the ground in fury.

"Well that's just great! They got away!" the dragon moaned, "And that fat guy just told Metal Sonic he's got the energy! He's made off with the Kingdom Stone's energy!"

"How are we gonna survive now Lilac?" asked Milla worriedly.

"We're gonna get back our energy and kick that weirdo's big flabby backside for stealing it!" Lilac declared, "He's not gonna keep it for long! Torque, get your rocket ready so we can chase after those two!"

"Sure thing!" Torque cried, "We'll chase him down and then ambush him so we can get back the energy!"

With that said, Team Lilac quickly sprinted off towards Torque's rocket so that they could get up into space and chase after Dr. Eggman before they lost him. They had saved Avalice a month ago, they were going to save it again. And Eggman was not going to be the person who doomed the planet…not after the fact they had survived Lord Brevon's tyranny…

* * *

Back on Mobius, Sonic found himself being slammed down onto the ground once again by Lord Brevon. The strong, green alien smirked confidently as he read the pain on Sonic's face and stomped towards him, his dagger in hand and ready to kill. His fearsome red eyes narrowed as he prepared to finish off his opponent. Sonic was a bothersome yet challenging opponent, even more so than Lilac herself. While he was better prepared for Sonic what with having experienced fighting against a super-speedy being first hand, he had found the hedgehog's taunting to be very irritating. He was even more annoying than Lilac. At least when she spoke to him in their fight, her speech had been angry ranting and not cracking bad jokes every so often. The warlord would be pleased to get rid of the vexing hedgehog, something that Eggman had tried and failed to do many times already. He raised his dagger and was about to slice Sonic's head off. Brevon was poised and in the right position. Sonic had no chance of surviving this. But then suddenly, the hedgehog smirked at him and then suddenly kicked him directly in the knees. Brevon's leg armour included knee guards but the kick was still hard enough to make Brevon wobble and nearly overbalance. Now he was caught off-guard, Sonic leapt back onto his feet and threw a terrific uppercut into Brevon's chin. It was so powerful that he ended up taking the alien clean off of his feet and sent him hurling backwards in a rainbow arch. He landed on his shoulder but felt no pain. The warlord was very resilient, meaning that it took a lot to hurt him.

Sonic ran over to Brevon just as he stood back up and he began to run a circle around the villainous extra-terrestrial. Brevon watched as his speedy enemy ran around him. He had a feeling he knew what Sonic was planning. He was either going to cause a tornado that would whisk him away or cut out his air-supply in the centre of the circle. Many speedy people relied on such tactics. In order to prevent this from happening, Brevon waited until he was sure that now was the right time to charge. He lowered his head and sprang forward, slamming straight into Sonic just as he ran in front of him. His timing had been perfect and he had stopped the blue hedgehog's assault. Brevon crashed down onto the ground with Sonic on top of him but then he suddenly rolled over and ended up back on his feet with Sonic held firmly in his hands. He raised him up high and then threw him as far as he could throw. Tails, who was still fighting against Serpentine, saw this and watched with horror as Sonic hurled straight off of the island! He cried out as he went over and Tails abandoned his opponent, flying after him in a desperate race to catch him before the ground could become his grave. Brevon watched as Tails dived after Sonic, sneering at the sickly sweet compassion he was showing for his impudent friend.

 **"That is why compassion will always be a weakness or a distraction…"** the alien purred, **"Now for my prize…"**

He ran over to the Master Emerald shrine, leaving Serpentine and Syntax to continue fighting against Knuckles, Amy and Cream. He admired the shining jewel, mesmerized by its beauty and gleeful that he was the one who was going to steal it. He pressed his hands against it, feeling surges of energy crackling around his fingers. He was amazed. The huge green emerald certainly was very powerful. He could tell from how it felt. Eggman wasn't kidding when he said it was a powerful gem that could aid them in their plan to make a fusion world, one of which he was going to rule by himself when the combination had happened. The warlord lifted up the Master Emerald and leapt off of the shrine with it in his hands.

 **"Such power…it's almost as powerful as that precious gem I tried to make off with last month…"** Brevon said approvingly, **"And now it's mine…"**

He cackled as he walked over to his ship and carried the Master Emerald inside. Luckily, nobody had seen him do this. They would notice eventually and then they would be after him, which was why he was going to take off now instead of waiting for Serpentine and Syntax to finish their fights. He would call them once he was out of range and nobody would be able to chase or fly after him. Once Brevon was onboard, he stored the Master Emerald just behind the pilot seats and then climbed into the seat himself. He activated the ship and began to take off with the ship's engines blazing furiously.

Outside, Knuckles grabbed Serpentine's ankle and used all of his strength to trip up the huge mech. The snake cried out as his battle machine crashed down onto its side. Knuckles was about to throw another punch at the mech but the sound of Brevon's ship taking off made him stop and turn around. Amy and Cream ceased their fight with Syntax to see what was happening too. As they watched the ship ascend upwards, Tails and Sonic arrived back on Angel Island with the fox holding the hedgehog. They both gasped as Brevon's ship climbed up and then proceeded to raise up at the nose and climb up into the sky. Sonic already knew why that was.

"Stop him!" he cried, "He's getting away with the Master Emerald!"

Knuckles quickly glanced over at the shrine to see what Sonic was talking about. He saw that to his horror, the hedgehog's guess had been completely correct. The shrine was empty and the emerald was gone! Brevon was taking off, meaning he had to be fleeing with the emerald. The ship was already getting high above Angel Island but if Tails threw Sonic up at it, the hedgehog could have a chance of stopping the fleeing vessel. But just as Tails prepared to throw Sonic, Serpentine's mech stood up and bounded towards him. The fox cried out in horror and flew himself and Sonic out of the way as the mech thundered past them. Cream cried to fly herself and Amy up after the ship but Syntax began firing shots at them, forcing them to weave out of the way and thus, slowing them down. Then suddenly, the rockets blazed more furiously and the sound grew to almost ear-splitting volume as the turbo charge kicked in and Brevon's ship began to fly off even faster. With nothing left to stay behind for, Serpentine and Syntax's mechs activated their jet boosters and flew up into the sky after their master. Sonic and his friends watched with dismay as their new enemies got away with the Master Emerald. The hedgehog swore and kicked at the soil angrily.

"That is so not cool!" he moaned, "We get trumped by entirely new guys whom we've never seen before and they've made off with Knuckles's precious emerald!"

"That's terrible!" Cream whimpered.

"The island's gonna fall any moment now it's gone!" Knuckles cried, "We have to get the Master Emerald back now! Who knows what chaos that freak will cause with it?!"

"But how will we get him?!" Amy cried helplessly, "We can't chase after him like this! He's long gone!"

"Not entirely!" Tails declared, "We'll just have to follow him in a spaceship of our own! It's a good thing I got my new space cruiser, the Blue Typhoon, ready for launch yesterday!"

"How about that for a maiden voyage buddy?" Sonic snickered, "Chasing after a guy who stole the M.E. Bet you didn't have that in mind for a first flight."

"Not entirely." the fox said with a chuckle, "Well, let's get onboard the Typhoon and catch that crook!"

The Mobians nodded and ran off to do just that. Tails and Cream carried Sonic and Amy off of Angel Island while Knuckles glided off the island and followed them. It was truly a race against time now. A race that would hopefully see them as the victors and see the Master Emerald returned home before Brevon could do any damage with it. If they were too late…then Mobius was in for a dark, dark hour…

* * *

A while later, Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon had returned to the in-between limbo world that linked the gateways to Mobius and Avalice together. Once they had entered the limbo, Eggman had been quick to gloat to Brevon about his success and Brevon in return gave Eggman the good news. They had both gotten what they had come for and both villains couldn't have been happier with each other. The plan had worked and now the next stage was ready to begin. Eggman had decided that the two would meet up on the Death Egg V and Brevon was complacent with that as long as the Dreadnought would be fine. The doctor had eased the alien's concerns by telling him that if this worked, the linking of the worlds wouldn't harm the Dreadnought at all. Serpentine and Syntax had been stationed back onboard the ship to make sure that it would stay safe during the whole thing. They would move the vessel if they had to.

Now aboard the Death Egg, Eggman and Brevon joined up with each other in the meeting room of the egg-shaped starship. It was quite a surprise for the two to be seeing each other in person now. Eggman was astonished at how big his alien comrade was. Brevon stood head and shoulders over him and looked bigger and wider than he had done on his screen earlier. Brevon wasn't too wowed by Eggman's appearance but made no attempt to show his disdain. He needed the doctor alive for the time being, it was best not to break up the alliance yet. Instead, he and the doctor shook hands with each other, pleased with their successes.

"What a success this has been!" Eggman exclaimed excitedly, "We both got what we came for!"

 **"Indeed so doctor."** Brevon purred, **"Our plan is going brilliantly so far."**

"Oh yes my alien friend!" the scientist said gleefully, "And at this moment, there's no way our enemies can mess this up for us!"

 **"If they ever reach us, it'll be too late."** the warlord crowed, **"Our worlds will be linked and we will be the kings of our combined planets!"**

"I know! The thought makes me tingle all over!" Dr. Eggman squealed, "So, how was the fight against Sonic and friends?"

 **"More annoying than the dragon girl and her friends…"** Lord Brevon spat, **"That impudent hedgehog really has a death wish with his irritating tendency to spew out terrible jokes and remain cocky and confident. I would love to have his head on a platter…"**

"I agree…"

 **"How were the Avalicians?"**

"I didn't fight them myself. Metal Sonic, my robot fighter, fought them."

 **"And how did he fare?"**

"Superficial damage but nothing serious." Eggman said casually, "Those enemies of yours must be tough critters if they can damage Metal Sonic."

 **"They managed to tear my ship apart. They are deadly when in combat."** Brevon warned, **"Do NOT take them lightly."**

"I shan't from this point onwards my friend." the scientist promised, "Now then…ready for a world combination?"

 **"Whenever you are doctor…"** the world-conqueror purred softly.

Eggman nodded and he walked over to his Egg-Mobile, which he had brought into the Death Egg so that he could use the Kingdom Energy. Brevon had brought the Master Emerald in with him. The gem stood behind him and he stepped aside as the Egg-Mobile shifted towards it, its energy conductor deployed and pointing at the Master Emerald. The scientist pressed a button and the gun-shaped device began to fire the stolen energy into the Master Emerald. The emerald glowed as if gleefully receiving its new dose of energy. The Kingdom Energy fed into the giant gem with no problems whatsoever. Nothing happened that suggested the combination was going to backfire catastrophically. Everything went smoothly as the entire energy stash was emptied and the Master Emerald received all of the Kingdom Energy. The emerald glowed very brightly as the chaos and kingdom energies fused together inside. It began to build up, threatening to engulf everything with light. Eggman and Brevon shielded their eyes as the light filled the entire room. Everything was totally white inside but it didn't last for very long. It was very bright however. Even with their eyes closed, Eggman and Brevon could feel the sheer brightness of the light on them. Closing their eyes hadn't made any difference. But mercifully, the light began to die down and the room darkened once more. The two villains opened their eyes and they stared at the Master Emerald. They both widened their eyes in astonishment at what they were looking at.

The jewel had completely changed in appearance as a result of the extra energy. It was even bigger now and the emerald was now blue and green with stars twinkling around it. It looked very beautiful and very, very powerful. Brevon and Eggman walked up closer to the transformed emerald, unable to speak for a minute. But they regained themselves and smiled gleefully.

"So that's what happens when you mix the two together…" Eggman purred.

 **"The emerald has changed. It's even bigger now…"** Brevon said, his voice full of awe, **"And so full of power…"**

"Yes…" the scientist said, "We're the masters of our worlds with this new emerald! I know exactly what to call it too…"

 **"Funny, because I have a good name for it too…"** the warlord said.

"THE KINGDOM EMERALD!" the both shouted together.

"With this Kingdom Emerald, we have the power to do what we please my lord! Ho, ho, ho! And now you know what's coming next!"

 **"Indeed doctor…"** Brevon purred, **"So how will we activate the gem's power?"**

"Well in order to use the Chaos or Master Emerald's power, you would have to yell "Chaos Control". Chaos Energy turns thoughts into power. With the Chaos Energy in the Kingdom Emerald, We'll be able to use a Chaos Control that'll fuse our worlds together!" Eggman cried.

 **"And the Kingdom Stone's power merely makes the gem strong enough to give us god-like powers. It's powerful enough to power a world after all."** Brevon said, **"Let us begin…"**

Smiling wickedly, the two villains placed their hands on the Kingdom Emerald. They felt a wave of amazing sensation surge through their hands as they touched it. There was enough power to even match that of a god's! They would be able to get what they wanted easily with this! Smiling wickedly, the two villains both bellowed together.

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

As they shouted it, the Kingdom Emerald began to glow very brightly and the light exploded out from the amazing gem, engulfing everything in sight and spreading throughout the Death Egg. The light reached out of both sides of the portal and spread down to Mobius and Avalice. Nobody could do anything now…as both worlds were swallowed up by the luminous beams that touched them…

* * *

 _ **OH NOES! The world combination has started! What will happen next? Find out as our heroes from Mobius and Avalice end up meeting each other and we get to see what the fusion world looks like...**_


	4. Chapter 3: Worlds Combined

_Chapter 3: Worlds Combined_

Team Lilac had boarded Torque's rocket and were now flying up into the sky, heading towards the planet's atmosphere. To Lilac, this was kind of exciting and something she was going to enjoy for she'd often wondered about going on a space adventure and thinking of how cool it would be. But sadly, this wasn't an adventure of thrills and wonder, this was a mission to save Avalice so she wouldn't be able to enjoy her time out in space. Hopefully next time she went up into space, she'd be able to enjoy it properly. The sleek rocket cruised up and up into the sky, ploughing through the clouds and climbing on ever higher. The tip of the rocket began to glow as it pushed through the planet's atmosphere. Torque gripped the controls tightly as his spacecraft began to enter the atmosphere. This was always something he would never fully get used to, the shuddering and shaking that happened when a spacecraft went through a planet's atmosphere. He'd done this many times and yet he still felt a little nervous when it happened.

"Hold on girls, this is gonna get a little bumpy!" he cried.

Lilac, Carol and Milla held on to their seats as the rocket began to shudder. The outside was glowing a fluorescent orange, giving the impression that the rocket was on fire. The girls had never experienced this before and were fighting hard to keep calm as the rocket pushed through the atmosphere. Milla looked as if she was going to crush the arms of her seat with how tightly she was gripping them. Carol and Lila both looked at each other and reassured each other with their eyes and a few head nods that they were going to be fine. This was perfectly normal, they had nothing to worry about. Then suddenly, the shaking stopped and everything was still inside the rocket. The glowing had also stopped too. The girls relaxed and glanced out of the window to see where they were. They were now in space. The trio stared as they saw a vast black void full of stars that stretched endlessly beyond. It looked like something that they had seen in many sci-fi movies they'd watched. But this was no movie, this was reality. And a very beautiful one in their eyes. Despite the seriousness of her mission, Lilac couldn't help but put it aside for a moment as she admired the view outside.

"Look girls! We're actually in space!" the dragon squealed excitedly.

"This is SOOOOO cool!" Carol shrieked, "Look, there's lots of stars out there!"

"It's so beautiful!" Milla exclaimed, "Oh I wish mommy and daddy could see this now! They'd be so thrilled!"

"I'm sure they would Milla." Lilac nodded, "I always thought space would be cool…looks like I was right."

"Wait until you see what there is in space." Torque said with a smile, "You've seen nothing yet Lilac."

"Given you're the captain of the Chaser fleet, I'll take your word for it." the teen-Avalician said brightly, "You've seen a lot of space in your time no doubt."

"More than you can possibly imagine." the Chaser said, "Now then, the egg-shaped creature can't have got far. We should be able to catch up to him any time soon."

"Good. Once we get his ship, we'll break inside and then get back the Kingdom Energy!" Lilac declared, "But…can we actually breathe out in space?"

"I'm not sure if Avalicians can or not but I don't wanna test it." Torque said, shuddering, "I'll give you some suits and helmets to wear when we break into the ship. Better safe than sorry as they say."

"Yeah, last thing we want is our heads exploding…" Carol grimaced.

"Hey look! Something's happening!" Milla suddenly squealed, "There's a big white light coming towards us!"

Torque stared ahead through the cockpit window to see what was happening. Lilac and Carol stared ahead too, wondering what the supposed big white light was about. They saw it straight ahead and the light was increasing in size. It looked as if a giant flashlight had switched on but the light was continuing to get bigger and bigger as opposed to staying how it was. The girls stared open-mouthed, unable to speak for a minute.

"What is that?" asked Lilac after what seemed like a minute had gone by.

"Is that the star we saw last night?" asked Milla.

"Maybe...but it looks like it's getting awfully big..." Carol mused.

"I think it's that portal the moustached guy came here through." Torque estimated, "But the light is getting bigger and coming towards us...I don't think that's a good thing."

"Do you think the portal's gonna swallow us up?" asked Lilac nervously.

"Possibly. I don't know if it's gonna be a good thing or a bad thing but I'm not sure I wanna find out!" the Chaser cried, "We'll have to turn around and..."

His words were cut short as the light swept over them and engulfed them. It was as if the whole light had folded around the rocket and snatched it up into its clutches. Everybody shielded their eyes but it made no difference whatsoever. It was still too bright. The tensity of the light was enough to make the Avalicians and Chaser worry. The light couldn't be good and it had reached them so now they were at the mercy of what was happening.

"It's got us!" Lilac screamed, "What's gonna...happen..."

Her voice trailed away as the light swallowed them whole and everything went blank...

* * *

Just above Mobius, a huge spaceship was coming out of the atmosphere and entering the endless void of space, its wing tips still glowing slightly but cooling down from the flight through the atmosphere. The ship was the Blue Typhoon, Tails's custom-made space ship and the Mobian's only way of getting into space at this present time. It had been built over the past few months and the twin-tailed fox had finished it yesterday. Now it was on its first ever flight into space, something that Tails had been looking forward to immensely. Although he wished that the circumstances upon which the Blue Typhoon was having its first flight were a little more peaceful and less intense. The vessel was enormous, easily able to house a large portion of Mobius onboard. The ship had a long bow section with a runway for any planes stored onboard to take off, artificial palm trees on either side to give a sense of nature to the ship and a huge, pointed nose cone just under the runway. It had four wings, two at the front and two behind and enormous engines that could carry the ship for very long distances. The bridge section was a tall tower that stood proudly on the back of the ship, overlooking the entire bow section. Inside, the vessel had long corridors and a hangar bay for smaller ships or planes to land in and a lot of luxuries for the passengers such as bedrooms and a kitchen for cooking. There was even a games room in the ship for passengers to play in. Sadly, Tails hadn't had the time to show off all of this. The ship had only just entered space and now they could only focus on one thing: chasing down Lord Brevon and getting back the Master Emerald.

He and the others were in the bridge with the fox at the controls and keeping an eye out for any danger. His scanners didn't register any vessels ahead of it for the moment but the Blue Typhoon would catch up to Brevon soon and then they could get back the Master Emerald.

"Well I gotta say Tails..." Sonic breathed, "This ship is pretty cool. A lot better than anything Eggman's ever built that's for sure!"

"Thank you." Tails said graciously, "Hopefully when we get back the emerald, I might be able to give you a tour of the place. I'd love to show off what the ship has to offer and all."

"I'm just amazed you managed to build something so big!" Amy gasped, "I like it, don't get me wrong but it's just...surprising! I've never seen you build anything bigger than say, the Tornado!"

"Well I did want this ship to be suitable for long voyages." the fox said modestly, "That's why I made it so big. When we get the chance, I'll be able to show you what luxuries the Typhoon has."

"I bet they're gonna be cool." the hedgehog said optimistically, "And I also bet this ship will capture that weirdo with the big eyebrows easily!"

"This thing dwarfs his puny ship, we'll ghost him a mile away." Knuckles muttered, "And that'll teach that creep to steal my emerald!"

"I'll say. I mean we all know how angry you got when you lose your precious little emerald." Sonic snickered, "Do you think the emerald might be all "My hero!" and lovey-dovey over you when you save it Knuckie?"

"Very funny..." the echidna snorted, rolling his eyes.

Cream and Cheese were standing by the window and admiring the view outside. Space was truly an amazing sight to behold with its vast, beautiful fields of stars dotted all over the vast black void around them. She and her friends had been in space on many occasions such as the invasion of the Black Arms and the whole business with the Space Colony ARK and yet Cream still couldn't help but be wowed at the sight of it all. It always fascinated her to think that this is what was outside of the world of Mobius itself.

"It's amazing to see what it's like outside our planet Cheese." Cream said delightedly, "Lots of stars, more worlds than just our own, space really is fascinating!"

"Chao, chao!" Cheese agreed.

"I'm glad you feel the same way." the rabbit said, "I wonder if Tails will take us on a space voyage in this wonderful ship of his? Maybe visit new worlds and..."

Her voice trailed off as she saw something out of the ordinary. Her eyes widened and she pressed her face against the thick, reinforced glass to get a closer look. There was a huge ball of white light just ahead of the Blue Typhoon and it was getting bigger. She watched as it slowly began to expand in size. The rabbit began to feel frightened. What was it?

"Oh Cheese! What is that?" she squeaked.

"What is it Cream?" asked Amy concernedly.

"I think I know what...look!" Tails exclaimed.

He and his friends stared ahead at the white light ahead of them. It was getting closer to them, threatening to engulf them all. Knuckles looked more shocked than anybody else did for he had a feeling he knew what that light was.

"That must be the Night Sun from last night!" he cried.

"But that's impossible! It only comes out yearly!" Tails protested, "It shouldn't still be here!"

"Looks like we were wrong about it after all!" Sonic said grimly, "I don't think the fact it's coming towards us is good news! Tails, get us outta here now!"

Tails was quick to react and he thrust the controls to the side, turning the Blue Typhoon to the left. But he was much too late. The huge, luminous phenomenon swept over the ship and bathed the entire Blue Typhoon in light. It was so bright that the Mobians still felt it was too bright even with their eyes closed. Cream hugged Cheese tightly while the others covered their closed eyes with their hands to try and make the light less intense for them. The ship was completely swallowed up by the light.

"It's hit us! But...I feel...weird...what's going...on?!" Sonic grunted, his voice strained as everything began to go blank...

* * *

Inside the white limbo, an amazing event was now taking place. The Chaos Control activated by Eggman and Brevon had snagged both worlds and had now dragged them both into the white in-between zone. Mobius and Avalice were now in the same place together and they closed in, combining together as a big flash of light built up between them. With the Chaos Energy of the Master Emerald, the two worlds had been transported and the energy of the Kingdom Stone was now combining them together. Energy radiated from the fusing worlds as they came close together and became one. Streaks of blue and green light reached out in all directions and filled the limbo with new light. The light shone between the fusion planet for a moment before dying down and revealing what had been hidden by it. Mobius and Avalice had now combined. The fused planet didn't look too different as it had the same blue oceans and green islands as when the worlds were separate. But down on the surface...the world was very, very different...and in a way that no Mobian or Avalician would ever comprehend...

* * *

A long time had passed since the combination of the two worlds. It even felt like a long time had passed since Sonic had passed out. The hedgehog picked himself up and groaned, his head throbbing so much that he began to worry his brain was going to explode. He massaged his scalp and temples, easing the pain and waking himself up a little. The white light or "Night Sun" as Knuckles had called it had taken him by surprise but mercifully, he'd been spared most of what happened while Mobius and Avalice were combining. He'd passed out and had taken a while to come around. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stretched.

"Oh man...that feels better..." he sighed, his head feeling a lot clearer and his bones knitting perfectly.

He stood up and brushed himself off.

"I hope that never happens again." the hedgehog murmured, "That was a killer! I wonder what that was? And what caused it?"

Sonic pondered for a moment before something dawned on him. It had just occurred to him that he could feel breeze against his skin and smell fresh air. He could also see blue sky and daylight, not black sky and lots of stars. How could this be? He was on the Blue Typhoon when the phenomenon had happened! Had he ben separated by the light? He looked around wildly. He was in a forest, but this one didn't look quite right. He could see trees and loop-de-loop rocks like in Green Hill Zone but he could also see sandy valleys and trees that didn't look like they belonged in Green Hill Zone. The zone didn't have sandy valleys and the trees were always bright green in colour. These new ones were darker. Was he on a new world? This couldn't be, there were similarities to Mobius. Why did this world look like Mobius and yet at the same time, didn't look like Mobius? The hedgehog's head began to ache again as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing.

"OK, looks like I'm in weird-town or something..." he said to himself, "Where am I? And why have I been separated?"

He thought for a moment and then shrugged it off.

"I can worry about what planet I'm on later, I've gotta find my friends and make sure they're alright!" Sonic declared, "I hope they're not badly hurt. I wonder if the light's brought them here too."

He ran off, zooming straight towards a valley to start searching for his friends. They couldn't be far, not while he was here in this strange place. Sonic began to wonder what he was going to encounter in this strange new world that somehow looked familiar at the same time. Would he meet friendly locals or hostile inhabitants? What kind of people even lived here? And would his friends be safe? Sonic knew that the answers would come to him soon. He entered the valley, kicking up clouds of dust behind him as he sped across the lightly sanded ground. It reminded him a little of a canyon of some kind. He knew it wasn't Rail Canyon for there weren't any rails. He also saw some crystal shards lying around on the ground nearby. Those were new too. They sparkled delightfully in the sunlight, tempting anybody to come and pick them up. Sonic would investigate them later when he had the time. He wondered if the crystals had some kind of power in them. Power that might help him and his friends get back home...

* * *

Not too far away, Lilac the Dragon Girl was beginning to wake up too, stirring slightly as she came out of her unconscious spell. She was lying on the grass and as she woke up, she pushed herself up onto her knees and stretched. Her body ached but she didn't let it bother her. She rubbed her arms and shoulders and then eased her temples. She had been out for a while and was relieved to be awake again.

"Oh man...it feels like I got knocked out by Brevon again..." the dragon said, her voice sickly and far away.

She shook her head and stood up, brushing some blades of grass off of her shorts. And then suddenly, Lilac stared at the grass beneath her feet. Grass that shouldn't be beneath her feet at all.

"What the...how can there be grass?" she blustered, "I thought I was on a rocket with Torque and my friends!"

She then looked up and observed her surroundings. Lilac was no longer on Torque's rocket, but in some kind of colourful looking jungle. There were giant frogs, green and black, hopping around nearby and the dragon gasped and marvelled at the huge fruits that she could see on the trees. This looked nothing like Avalice at all. Avalice didn't have jungles like this. But the dragon saw something that looked a little familiar. There were colour-coded temples standing nearby. They reminded Lilac of Relic Maze. She ran over to the temples and looked at them. They were definitely the same temples from Relic Maze. But how could this be? The maze was in a forest, not a jungle! Where was she? What was this world?

"OK...I'm in a jungle that coincidentally has similarities to Relic Maze...that's freaky." Lilac muttered, "Did that weird white light do this? Am I on a different planet? And..."

The dragon flinched as she suddenly realized that she was alone. Carol, Milla and Torque weren't around and neither was Torque's rocket. Were they here too? Lilac began to worry for her friends. Were they in danger? She had to find them and make sure they were OK.

"CAROL! MILLA! TORQUE!" Lilac screamed at the top of her lungs, "GUYS! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

She received no answer. She tried again, calling to her friends as loud as her voice would let her. She was met with only silence. Lilac's heart began to pound.

"Oh guys...where are you?" the dragon fretted, "I hope you're all OK! Please be OK..."

Lilac sprinted off, running through the jungle and leaping over fallen branches and past vines. The teen-reptile ran off at top speed, the jungle becoming a blur around her as she ran. She kept her eyes open for any signs of her friends, desperate to find them and find them quickly. She couldn't bear the thought of her friends in trouble and wanted to make sure they were OK...

Meanwhile, Sonic had traversed through the valley and was now running towards the jungle/Relic Maze fusion. A field of grass separated the valley and the jungle and Sonic zoomed across it at top speed. He smiled at the sight of familiar scenery ahead of him.

"Hey, it's the Lost Jungle!" he cried, "This must be Mobius after all! I wonder if my buddies are in there?"

He headed on towards the jungle, eager to start searching there for his friends. But as he ran, he saw that somebody else was running towards him. It was Lilac. She had exited the jungle and was stunned to see that there was a field outside and what looked like Dragon Valley ahead, but with some small differences.

"Looks like home up ahead..." she mused, "Maybe my friends have landed there?"

The dragon then saw the blue hedgehog rushing towards her at supersonic speeds. Her first instinct was to stare in surprise. She had never known anybody who wasn't a dragon to run so fast before. Sonic himself was equally as surprised. He hadn't seen anybody who wasn't' a hedgehog run that fast either. Then both Sonic and Lilac realized that they were running towards each other and they both tried to stop themselves by skidding to a halt. But they were too late and they collided straight into each other, throwing either one onto their backs and leaving them grimacing in pain. Sonic rubbed his head and Lilac rubbed her face, both feeling as if they'd run into a brick wall. Lilac recovered quickest and was on her feet in seconds.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry sir!" she squealed, "I'm so sorry, please don't be mad at me! I didn't see you in time! I didn't mean to crash into you!"

"Ungh...it's OK...I've had worse..." Sonic muttered, "I didn't expect to run into somebody so soon..."

Sonic picked himself up, still rubbing his head, and he found himself staring at Lilac. He was taken aback by how beautiful she looked but also how strange she looked too. He had never seen anybody like her before. New species of Mobian perhaps? Sonic knew that there were Mobians out there that even he hadn't met so it was possible. Lilac herself took the chance to have a better look at Sonic. She hadn't really seen many hedgehogs around and never had she ever seen one that looked like this before. But she was fascinated. Sonic looked pretty cool to her and she wondered if he was as cool as he seemed.

"Hi..." Sonic said.

"Hello." Lilac said back, "You're a pretty cool looking guy I must say."

"You're not so bad looking yourself miss." the hedgehog said casually, "So what are you supposed to be? I've not seen anybody like you before."

"I'm a dragon sir." the dragon replied.

"A dragon?" Sonic gasped, "I didn't know Mobius had dragons..."

"Mobius?"

"It's where I live. Isn't this Mobius?"

Lilac paused for a moment and thought.

"Um...I don't know." she said admittedly, "I mean, there's a jungle that I've never seen before behind me but the jungle has a couple of temples that remind me of Relic Maze back on Avalice. And where you came from looks like Dragon Valley." she added, glancing over his shoulder.

"Dragon Valley?" Sonic murmured, "That's funny. I've seen bits that look like Green Hill Zone on Mobius. There's no such place as Dragon Valley on my planet."

"And Avalice, my world, doesn't have a "Green Hill Zone"." Lilac murmured, "It's...it's almost like...like..."

"Our worlds have combined?"

"Something like that. There's bits of my world and bits of your world it seems."

"And that explains how we've come to meet..."

"Yeah...pretty much..."

Sonic and Lilac allowed an awkward silence to pass before continuing.

"So um, Miss Dragon um, what's your name?" asked Sonic.

"My name is Lilac sir. What's yours?" questioned Lilac.

"Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog." the supersonic Mobian answered.

"Pleased to meet you Sonic." the heroic dragon said brightly, "As weird as it is for our worlds to be colliding that is."

"Yeah just a bit." chuckled Sonic, rubbing the back of his head slightly, "So what happened to you? How did you end up here?"

"Me and my friends got caught up in a big light while we were chasing after some fat guy and his robot henchman named Metal Sonic." Lilac explained, "It's funny...he kinda looks like you only metal and scary as all heck. You're a lot nicer than he is."

Sonic stared incredulously at his new friend.

"You mean you've met Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic?!" Sonic cried, "What were they doing on your world? Ava-whatsit-something?"

"Ava-LICE." the dragon corrected, "And they came to Avalice to steal the Kingdom Energy, a vortex of energy that keeps our world alive."

"Oh man, that's terrible!" the hedgehog explained, "That Eggman's gonna pay for that!"

"I hope he does..." Lilac muttered, "And I take it Eggman's your enemy or something?"

"The one and only." Sonic sighed, "He's always causing chaos and trying to take over my world. And now he's causing misery for your world too. That is NO good!"

"So are you going to help me save Avalice then?"

"Well given we seem to be in a mixture of the two, I don't see why not."

"Thank you Sonic." Lilac said gratefully, "That's really nice of you. Anyway, how did you end up here?"

"Same as you, I got snatched up in a light while chasing somebody." Sonic replied, "I was after some big green dude with a huge unibrow and a growling voice. He didn't give me his name. He has two henchmen who pilot battle machines and they stole the Master Emerald, the most powerful gem on Mobius."

Lilac froze in horror, unable to believe her ears.

"Oh no...Sonic, I'm afraid I know who you're talking about..." she said hoarsely, "Your world has had the misfortune of being invaded by Lord Brevon!"

"You know him?"

"KNOW HIM?! I wish I didn't...he's my worst enemy and he came close to dooming Avalice last month by trying to steal the Kingdom Stone!"

"And now he's come to Mobius to steal the Master Emerald..."

"Just like Eggman's stolen the Kingdom Energy..."

The two heroes thought an incredible thought together. It was a little hard to believe but their thought was the only possible explanation to all of this.

"Do you...think Eggman and Brevon did this?" Sonic murmured.

"Well they did steal our most powerful relics..." Lilac thought, "Maybe they caused the white light that brought us together."

"Maybe they've combined our worlds together with the power of the two energies!" the hedgehog declared, "But why?"

"We'll find out later Sonic. I'm looking for my friends at this moment in time." the dragon said, "Please can you help me find them?"

"I'm looking for my friends too Lilac." Sonic replied, "We can look together! We can help look for our friends of you want."

"That sounds great!" Lilac said gleefully, "And given me and you can both run fast, we'll find them in no time! So who are your friends then?"

"A twin-tailed fox named Tails, a pink hedgehog in a red dress named Amy Rose, a red spike-fisted echidna named Knuckles and a cream rabbit named...well, Cream." Sonic detailed.

"Wow, your friends sound interesting." Lilac said, "As for me, I'm looking for a green wildcat named Carol, a white Basset Hound named Milla and a green alien named Torque."

"Sounds cool." said Sonic, "Let's go searching!"

"But where do we start?!"

"When you have super speed, any where's a good place to start."

"I suppose it is. Let's go!"

"You said it Lilac!"

With that said, the hedgehog and dragon both ran off together in search of their friends. The two looked at each other, impressed with how fast either one was running. At their speeds, they would find their lost friends in no time. Sonic and Lilac also had a feeling that they were going to become good friends on this mission...very good friends indeed...

* * *

While Sonic and Lilac were off searching for their friends, one of the ones Sonic was looking for was beginning to come around. It was Tails. He had been out for as long as his best friend had and he was just now beginning to wake up. His eyes half-opened and he moaned groggily as he pushed himself into a sitting position and stretched. He rubbed his forehead and eyes to wake himself up some more. The fox felt as if he'd fallen out of bed and hit the floor rather heavily. Tails stretched again and fully opened his eyes. His mind was more alert and his vision a lot clearer so now he could take a good look at where he was. To Tails's surprise, he was not on the Blue Typhoon and in space like he should've been. He was instead lying on a bed of leaves in the middle of the Lost Jungle's neighboring environment, Frog Forest. The forest had gotten its name from the indigenous giant frogs that populated it. The forest looked similar to the Lost Jungle but had a less tropical atmosphere and less fruit trees around. Tails could see a couple of frogs sitting on lily pads and croaking to each other in greeting. He decided to keep away from them for he didn't want to startle them and make them cause it to rain. He remembered the Frog Forest very well. He, Sonic and Knuckles had traversed the habitat during the whole fiasco with Metal Sonic that had seen he and many others go up against him to stop him conquering the world. At least he was in familiar territory. But Tails couldn't help but feel something wasn't quite right. Where was his ship? Why was he here? And where were his friends? He couldn't see them anywhere, meaning he was alone in this beautiful environment. Tails scratched his head in thought.

"OK...this is really weird." Tails murmured, "How did I end up in Frog Forest? Where's my ship? Where are my friends? Did...did the light we ran into do this?"

Tails racked his brains for an answer but his complex mind couldn't quite deliver one, at least one that he could be satisfied with. He had to find out more about this but first, he needed to find his friends and his ship. Tails stood up from the bed of leaves he had landed on and he cupped his hands around his mouth.

"SONIC! KNUCKLES! AMY! CREAM! CHEESE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" he called out.

He received no answer. The young cub's ears drooped back against his head in worry.

"Oh please be alright..." he fretted, "I don't know what I'd do if you were all badly hurt..."

He ran off into the forest, rushing by the lake with the two frogs who stopped croaking and stared at him in confusion as if wondering what he was doing. Tails ran across a stretch of grassland that acted as a sort of pathway through the lake with the edges of the path tipped red to let people know that they had to stay away from the sides. The fox ran all the way across and found himself coming across something strange. He saw a temple up ahead and the temple was standing in the middle of a grassy plain that had no trees around it. There were also rocky archways, ruins of bricks and stone pillars and loop-de-loop structures that reminded him of Green Hill Zone but didn't look like they were meant to be here. Nothing seemed right. Frog Forest didn't have ruins of any kind and he knew for definite that Frog Forest didn't house any temples. The fox walked up to the temple and observed it in confusion.

"Well this is new...never seen this before." he said, perplexed, "When did Frog Forest have things like these? These look like they came from somewhere else..."

"I could say the same about this forest." said a voice that was unfamiliar to the fox yet friendly sounding.

Tails turned around to see quite possibly the strangest creature he had ever seen in his life. He had never seen anything like Torque before. The Chaser had ended up in the Frog Forest/Relic Maze fusion too and had just got up from his unconscious spell. He had been roaming around looking for Lilac and the others only to instead, run into Tails. Torque stared at the fox, unable to believe what he was seeing. He supposed he shouldn't be too amazed at the twin-tailed fox's appearance given his experience as a space traveler but he still hadn't expected to see anything like this.

"Oh, hi there." Tails said politely, "I'm just looking for my friends. Yourself?"

"Same." Torque replied, "I got separated from Lilac, Carol and Milla after a white light swept over my rocket. And now I've ended up here...this world that has bits of Avalice and bits of another world..."

"Funny...I was hit by a white light too." the fox explained, "Me and my friends got separated too. And now I've woken up in a place that is clearly Frog Forest...but it has pieces of something else too."

"These temples and other things are from Relic Maze back on Avalice." the Chaser explained, "But Frog Forest isn't a place on Avalice so if I'm to guess...our worlds must have combined somehow."

"You think the light did it?"

"Possibly little guy. It couldn't be anything else."

"I think you're right..." Tails thought, "Oh and my name is Tails by the way. For...obvious reasons." he added, showing his twin-tails.

"I can see why." Torque chuckled, "My name is Torque. It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you." the kid genius said graciously, "Say Torque, would you like to help me find my friends? Please?"

"Sure thing Tails." the captain said kindly, "Maybe we'll find Lilac, Carol and Milla along the way. We can search for both our friends."

"Sounds good to me." Tails replied, "By the way, you said you had a rocket right?"

"I did. I woke up beside my rocket and some giant spaceship I've never seen before." Torque explained.

Tails's ears pricked up.

"What does the giant ship look like?" he asked eagerly.

"It's huge, has palm trees on it for some reason, huge engines and four wings." the alien explained, "It looks magnificent I must say and a pretty sight to wake up to."

"That's my ship!" the fox cried excitedly, "I was in my ship, the Blue Typhoon, when the light hit me and my friends!"

"Your ship?" Torque gasped, "You mean you own that big ship my rocket is lying next to?"

"Sure do!" Tails said proudly, "I built it myself!"

"Call me impressed..." the Chaser said, smiling at his new friend, "So Tails, tell me, what were you and your friends doing in space when the light hit?"

"We were chasing after this scary green guy with big eyebrows." the Mobian explained, "He stole the Master Emerald, a powerful gem on Mobius that..."

"Oh no...oh no..." Torque gasped, his face going very pale as he took in what the fox had just said, "Tails, I know who you're talking about! Your world got an unpleasant visit from Lord Brevon, the most powerful enemy that I've ever faced, and also the one who nearly doomed Avalice until I alerted the locals about him! Brevon specializes in stealing energy from worlds and it seems yours is now a victim of his evil!"

"That's terrible!" Tails cried in horror, "Maybe after we find out friends, we can work together to stop him!"

"Indeed, and also try and find that weird fat guy who stole the Kingdom Stone's energy before our worlds combined." Torque suggested, "Do you by any chance know him?"

"Weird fat guy...does he have a moustache, a loud grating voice and a red and black uniform?"

"He sure does. He also has a robot named "Metal Sonic" on his side."

"I do know who that is then...it's Mobius's biggest enemy, Dr. Eggman. So he invaded your world and stole some energy?"

"He did."

Tails and Torque both began to think for a moment about this. The coincidences and similaraties were striking and yet there seemed to be some kind of pattern to them.

"Do you think Eggman and Brevon did this?" Tails asked.

"I doubt it, Brevon wouldn't usually ally with others." Torque murmured, "But the two energies they stole could've got mixed up somehow. We'll find out later, we have to get searching."

"And since we've got our ships, we can fly up high and search for them!" cried Tails, "The Typhoon has highly advanced scanners so I could pick up Mobian life easily!"

"And my rocket will track down Avalician life." said Torque brightly, "Well then buddy, let's get to work."

The two friends ran off with Torque leading the way back to his rocket and the Blue Typhoon. Working together, Tails and Torque had a feeling that they were going to find their lost friends. But what surprises did this fusion world have for them? They would explore on their search...and hopefully find a way to fix the whole mess that had been caused...

* * *

Meanwhile, Carol the Wildcat had woken up and was now roaming through a beautiful rustic forest known as Jade Creek, a location on Avalice that she knew all too well having been through it with her friends after escaping from Shang Tu last month. Jade Creek was renowned for its beauty and peaceful nature and its many waterfalls, rivers and towering rocks. It was also quite close to the kingdom of Shang Tu. The tomboy feline had been confused to wake up in Jade Creek considering she had been on a rocket last time and was now searching for her friends. She had been awake for roughly five minutes. Carol cupped her hands around her mouth and called out for her friends.

"Yo Lilac, Milla, Torque! Where are ya?!" she yelled, "Come out, come out wherever you are! Hello?"

Her calls were met with no answers as she continued trekking through the creek.

"Oh where could they be?" Carol asked herself, "That weird light thingy could've thrown them anywhere! I hope they're not hurt or something! Knowing Little Miss Heropants though, she'll be fine but Milla and Torque...I dunno. It's still weird that I'm back on Avalice of all places. One would think we'd all be on a different planet or something!"

She chuckled to herself but her chuckle quickly died away for she knew that this wasn't something to laugh about. Carol hugged herself, praying that her friends were OK. She had woken up just fine so with any luck, her friends would be OK too. Wherever they were. As Carol walked through Jade Creek, she suddenly noticed something that took her breath away and left her speechless. Hovering above the lake of Jade Creek...was a huge floating island! It loomed just above the water like some kind of hovercraft. Carol rubbed her eyes and stared again. This couldn't be real could it?! She blinked several times and stared once more. Her eyes were not playing tricks on her after all. There was indeed a floating island just ahead!

"Holy galoshes!" Carol exclaimed, "What in the world is that thing?! I've never seen a floating island before! And somehow, I have a feeling there's a reason why I've never seen a floating island before..."

Then suddenly, something terrifying happened. The island started to dip down towards the water. Carol let out a scream and ran for cover as the huge floating chunk of land lowered down and entered the water with a big splash. Due to the fact it had fallen slowly, the waves it created weren't too big. They swept over the grass, soaking it wet and drenching the soil but no floods were caused by the impact. The island also seemed to survive the slow descend into the lake, not showing any signs whatsoever of breaking apart. Carol emerged from her hiding place and saw the island, now sitting in the lake. It was so big that it nearly filled the entire body of water. It was close enough to shore for Carol to leap over and walk onto the island, something she was wanting to do for she had the urge to go exploring. The cat sprinted towards the fallen island and leapt onto it. As she landed, she saw that the island was occupied. There was a red furred echidna with spiked fists lying on his stomach, eyes closed and unmoving. It was Knuckles and he was unconscious from the fusing of Mobius and Avalice. He'd even slept through Angel Island landing in the water. Carol ran over to him and gently shook him.

"Hey dude, are you OK?" she asked, "Dude? Hello? Anybody home?"

She shook Knuckles for a moment before suddenly, the echidna's eyes shot open and he sprang up onto his feet. Carol was so surprised that she fell backwards onto her bottom. Knuckles stood over her, his fists clenched and his teeth gritted.

"Who are you and what are you doing on my island?!" he snarled, "If you want the Master Emerald then too bad, somebody else has already taken it!"

"Whoa dude, chillax! I'm not here to steal any emeralds!" Carol protested, "Please don't hurt me! I didn't mean to trespass! I'm just looking for my friends and I saw this big floating island and it fell down into the lake and..."

"Fell...down?" Knuckles gasped, his expression softening, "You mean...my island is sitting in a lake now?!"

"Sure is spike-fist, look."

The guardian looked out over Carol's shoulder and saw that indeed, Angel Island was no longer in the sky, but down on the ground and floating in a huge lake in unfamiliar territory. The echidna scratched his head in puzzlement.

"OK...where is this place?" he asked, "This doesn't look like Mobius..."

"This is Jade Creek." Carol informed, "You're on planet Avalice buddy, my home turf."

"So me and my island are on a totally different planet?!" Knuckles exclaimed, "Wow...that light must've been some kind of teleportation then!"

"Light?"

"I was in space with my buddies and a big white light that I nicknamed the Night Sun because it only shows up one night a year suddenly got us and...has thrown me here."

"Oh! I know what you mean!" Carol cried, "Me and my friends were hit by a light too! It must've transported me back to Avalice! But if you're here too then why is your island here? You were in space when it got you. Was your island in space too?"

"No, it was on Mobius where it belongs." Knuckles explained, "Maybe the light got the planet too."

"Oh my gosh...this is sounding like some awesome comic book I've read!" the wildcat cried, "In the comic, two worlds from two different series ended up crossing over with each other! Do you...do you think that's what's happening now?"

"Must be." the echidna nodded, "So what's your name?"

"Carol the Wildcat at your service spiky!"Carol introduced.

"I'm Knuckles." Knuckles replied.

"Eh, I think "Spiky" suits you more." Carol chuckled

"Alright, you can call me that if you want..." Knuckles muttered.

"Thanks. So Spiky, care to help me find my buddies?" the tomboy feline asked, "I'm really worried about them. I wanna make sure they're OK."

"I don't see why not." the guardian echidna shrugged, "I might be able to find my friends at the same time if I do so. Any ideas where to start?"

"Jade Creek's near the Kingdom of Shang Tu, we could look there perhaps." suggested Carol.

"Fine by me." said Knuckles, "And then after that, we can resume our quest to get back the Master Emerald."

"Master Emerald? What's that?"

"I'll explain on the search Carol. Let's get going."

"Right behind ya dude!"

The echidna and wildcat leapt off of Angel Island and began heading off towards Shang Tu to find their friends. Carol already thought that she was going to like Knuckles, admiring his tough appearance, spiked fists and broad chest. Knuckles wasn't so sure about Carol but deep inside, he had a feeling she wasn't going to be bad company. He even admired her rather eager and determined attitude. She might be very much like him in personality. He was happy to be searching with her. It was better than nothing. As the two began searching, Knuckles couldn't help but wonder...what was happening to the Master Emerald at this moment...

* * *

Not so far away, there were two people who were beginning to wake up together. One was Cream the Rabbit and the other was Milla the Hound. By sheer coincidence and possibly luck, the rabbit and dog had ended up near each other after the worlds had combined into one. They were lying about a few feet from each other and were lying in the middle of a city of some kind. It was a hybrid mix of Empire City and Shuigang, the green Avalician kingdom. There were skyscrapers and roads like Empire City but there were Japanese themed houses and buildings like in Shuigang. It looked very bizarre to the wandering eye and certainly did not look normal. The combining of Mobius and Avalice had once again produced a very strange landmark. Cream and Milla were in an alleyway sandwiched between a Shuigang building and an Empire City building. Both rabbit and dog began to stir slightly and wake up. Cream sat up and massaged the sides of her face while Milla sat up and softly stroked her hair.

"Oh dear...what happened...?" Cream mumbled sleepily.

"Lilac...Carol...I think I've had a nightmare and fallen out of bed..." Milla mumbled groggily.

The two sweethearts then fully opened their eyes and looked around to see where they were. The first thing they ended up seeing was each other. Their eyes met and they stood still for a minute, not sure what to make of either one. Cream had never seen a hound like Milla before and Milla had never seen a rabbit like Cream before. To each other, they looked a little strange but cute.

"Oh hello there." Cream said politely.

Milla began to back away slowly, a little shy and nervous about this stranger. The dog wasn't often very good at meeting new people.

"Oh please don't be scared." the rabbit tried again, "Please, I won't hurt you. I'm a good person honestly Miss Doggy."

Milla nodded slowly, reliving Cream. With a voice that sweet and an appearance that cute, how could she distrust her? She looked as friendly as Lilac and Carol did. Feeling braver, Milla began to walk towards Cream.

"Are you a rabbit?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes I am." Cream said brightly.

"Can...can I touch your ears?" Milla asked, a bright twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh my ears?" the rabbit piped, looking at them, "Well...of course you can. But please be gentle."

The dog smiled and walked up to Cream. The rabbit turned around so that she could feel her long floppy ears. Milla reached out a hand and gently touched Cream's ears. They felt very soft and lovely to her. Milla laughed merrily as she felt them. Cream couldn't help but giggle with her, enjoying the way the dog's hands felt on her ears.

"They're so soft and furry!" Milla cried.

"Thank you Miss Doggy." said Cream, "And thanks for being gentle."

"Welcome! My name is Milla by the way. What's your name?"

"My name is Cream Milla."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thank you!"

The two girls smiled sweetly at each other, pleased to already be making new friends already despite having just woken up from an amazing phenomenon.

"So...were are we?" asked Milla.

"I don't know." said Cream, "Let's have a look shall we? But first, I need to find my friend Cheese. I wonder where he is?"

"You're looking for cheese?" the dog asked curiously, "Is it lunch time already?"

"Oh no Milla, my friend is called Cheese!" the rabbit giggled, "I'm not looking for actual cheese! Hee, hee, hee!"

"Maybe I can help!" Milla offered, "I'll help you find Cheese. What does he look like?"

Cream was just about to tell Milla that until suddenly, a nearby bin bag began to rustle. The two girls jumped and turned around, wondering what it was underneath the bag. It rustled and then began to shift slightly. Cream and Milla came closer. It could be some kind of stray cat scavenging for food. But as they got near the bag, they saw a little teardrop shaped head come up from under the bag. It was Cheese. He had landed in the pile of bin bags and had just come around. He crawled out from under the bags, looking a little dazed and confused. Cream scooped him up eagerly and hugged him. The sight of his beloved owner seemed to bring new strength to Cheese for he smiled and hugged Cream back.

"Oh Cheese, there you are!" Cream squealed, "I was beginning to worry that I'd lost you!"

"Chao, Chao!" Cheese piped.

"So this is your friend Cheese?" Milla asked, "He's adorable!"

"He is indeed." Cream said brightly, "Cheese, this is my new friend Milla. Say hello to her." she said sweetly.

Cheese looked over at Milla and observed her. The Chao could tell instantly that the dog was good company and his master had once again shown what a good judge of character she was. Milla looked as sweet and as friendly as Cream did. Smiling, the Chao cooed at the dog.

"I think he likes you already!" the rabbit squealed excitedly.

"Aww, I like you too Cheese!" the dog said happily, "It's a pleasure to meet both of you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Milla." Cream said politely, "Now we've got Cheese, I need to find my other friends. I wonder if they're here at all? And..how did I end up here?"

"I was in space with my friends and a white light suddenly shone on us and...now I'm here!" Milla exclaimed wildly.

"Sounds like what happened to me too!"

"So the light got both of us...and maybe our friends too!"

"Then we have to find them and make sure they're OK!"

"We can look together, find both our friends and get back together!"

The two girls nodded in agreement, darting out of the alleyway to begin their search. But as they left the alleyway, they ended up receiving a big surprise. Cream and Milla were in a city that had familiar elements for either side but foreign elements to them too. Milla didn't know what the strange skyscrapers were and Cream was perplexed by the Japaense themed buildings dotted around the city. Even Cheese looked unsure of what was happening.

"What is this place?" Cream asked.

"It looks like Shuigang...but with weird buildings that are too tall..." Milla said.

"To me, it looks like Empire City but mixed up with another city." the rabbit said, "Do you think we're on a new world Milla?"

"I'm not sure..." the dog murmured, "Once I find my friends, I can ask them. Torque might know, he's really smart."

"And my friend Tails is very smart too. He might know what's going on." Cream said optimistically, "Let's looking for our friends!"

The two girls ran off deeper into the city, keeping a very close and careful eye out for any signs of their friends in this bizarre, mixed up city. Hopefully they would be found...and then they could find out what was going on...and why they were in a city with elements of cities they both knew...

* * *

"SONIC! Where are you?! Tails? Cream? Knuckles? Are you anywhere?! Where are you?! Anybody?!"

The peace and quiet was shattered by the ear-splitting yells of Amy Rose as she roamed through a city in search of her friends. She had just woken up from being knocked unconscious by the fusion process that had brought Mobius and Avalice together and was already on the move, looking for her friends. The she-hog had woken up with her body aching badly and it had taken her a while to ease the pain. Now she was fit enough, she was walking around and seeking her missing friends. To her surprise, she was in a very strange place. She had expected to wake up on the Blue Typhoon but instead, she was here in what appeared to be Grand Metropolis...but then at the same time, something else. It had many elements of Grand Metropolis from the energy made roads that carried people quickly from place to place to the huge modern buildings that made the skyline. But it also had elements of what was supposedly some Chinese/Japanese themed city too. It had some Asian themed architecture in places and there was a big palace standing at the end of an energy road that led to it. Shang Tu from Avalice had fused together with Grand Metropolis while the planets had coalesced together. Amy thought that the new additions had some kind of beauty to them but they looked out of place meshing together with the ultra-modern Grand Metropolis. The two cities just didn't go well together. Amy stood on an energy road and allowed it to whisk her towards the strange palace up ahead.

"OK so we have a city that's half ancient and half modern. That's so weird..." Amy used, taking in the views around her, "The modern half looks like Grand Metropolis but then the ancient half looks like Chun-Nan. But so blue! Chun-Nan isn't blue at all in its architecture...is this a whole new world? Funny how it has a half resemblance to my world then..."

The hedgehog looked down at the energy road carrying her towards the palace. Was it some coincidence that this world just happened to partially resemble Mobius? Or was there more to this than she realized? The young girl's mind burned with questions but had no answers to extinguish them. She hoped that whoever lived in the palace ahead of her would be able to help. She even wondered who lived in it. Some Mobians she'd never met before? A new species entirely? Maybe the locals of this world. In a place like this, Amy knew that there were many possibilities. She arrived at the end of the road and walked up towards the palace. Getting closer to it, Amy could proper appreciate the beauty and majesty of it. Sparkling blue and full of age old architectural that still carried some attractiveness to it even to this day, it looked fabulous but the unfitting scenery around her made it harder for her to enjoy this view. Amy looked ahead and saw that there were two people standing outside the door chatting to each other. It was General Gong and Neera Li, wondering what had happened and why the Royal Palace of Shang Tu was standing atop a huge steel structure with an energy road connected to it. Amy stared at them. Pandas did exist on Mobius but something about the two told her they weren't from Mobius. She couldn't quite put her finger on why but she didn't let it bother her.

"Finally, some locals. Let's see what they can tell me." she said brightly.

Amy walked up to the two and waved politely.

"Hello there you two. Is it possible you could answer me some questions?" she asked.

Gong and Neera stopped chatting and looked over at Amy. They were stunned at the sight of her. Was she a new Avalician that they hadn't met before? She looked that way but at the same time, Neera had a feeling Amy wasn't Avalician. Gong smiled a friendly smile at Amy.

"Hello there young lady." he said gruffly, "Welcome to the Royal Palace of Shang Tu...although it seems a little misplaced at the moment..."

"VERY misplaced!" Neera scowled, glaring at the scenery around her, "What hideous place is this?!"

"It seems like your palace and possibly parts of your city have ended up in Grand Metropolis, a big city on Mobius." Amy explained, "Mobius is my world by the way. Are you from Mobius?"

"Not at all child. We're Avalicians." Neera explained, "Although we do share a strikingly similar anatomy..." she added, noting the similar proportions Amy had to an Avalician.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Avalice is like Mobius's sister planet or something." the pink hedgehog chuckled, "I'm Amy Rose. What's your names?"

"I'm General Gong and this is Neera Li." Gong introduced, "We're the Royal Magister of Shang Tu's right hand man and woman respectively. The Magister himself wants us to investigate this strange occurrence and find out why Avalice looks so different."

"And why Mobius looks so different..." Amy mused, "Say, did you see a weird, bright white light at all?" she suddenly asked.

"I think so." Neera thought, "Yes...I do recall seeing something glowing brightly before...this happened."

"Well me and my friends were up in space and we got hit by a white light." the she-hog explained, "And now all of a sudden, I've woken up here and it seems there's a mix of both our worlds! It's a crazy theory but...I think the light did this."

"Well everything was normal before it happened and then it happens and now everything's wrong!" the general noted, "Your theory is plausible."

"I agree." the priestess murmured, "So we need to find a way to get our worlds back to normal. I'm not really keen on this...modern atmosphere we're in."

"Yeah, you guys stick out like sore thumbs." Amy nodded, "Come with me and maybe I'll be able to help fix the problem. I have some really cool friends who are great at saving worlds, especially the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog! If we find them, they can probably help to mend our mixed-up worlds!"

The two pandas looked at each other and nodded, both coming to the same agreement. The Magister wanted the problem solving and this girl was offering to help. Why refuse an offer like this? Also they could do with all the help they could get so the hedgehog's friends would be welcome aid in their eyes. They both smiled at Amy though Gong's smile looked more genuine whereas Neera's looked a little fake.

"Sure thing Miss Rose! We'll help you find your buddies!" Gong announced.

"And if they can help us, you'll forever be in our gratitude Amy." Neera said, her voice genuinely gracious.

"Glad to hear that pandas." Amy said brightly, "Come on then, let's get searching! The worlds won't fix themselves you know!"

She ran back towards the energy road with Gong and Neera running after her. They all stepped onto the road and were quickly whisked across it as if there was some invisible force pulling them across by their feet. Gong and Neera wobbled and nearly fell over but they managed to keep their balance. As they traversed the world, they noticed more of Shang Tu dotted around Grand Metropolis. Had the white light really done all of this? Had it really fused Mobius and Avalice together? It seemed very likely...and they along with Amy were determined to put their worlds back to normal...

* * *

 _ **Our heroes have met, their worlds have combined, and now they just need to be united again! Will they do so? And I have a feeling there might be more characters to meet yet...**_

 _ **Tune in next time as Sonic and Lilac have their hands full when they meet Shadow the Hedgehog and Spade the Panda...**_


	5. Chapter 4: Westopolis Mayhem

**Act 1**

 _Chapter 4: Westopolis Mayhem_

Meanwhile, Sonic and Lilac had left the fusion of Dragon Valley and Green Hill Zone behind and were now currently searching in an area that looked like somebody had taken Seaside Hill and mixed it up with the snowy mountains that Lilac and friends had had their final battle with Lord Brevon in last month. It was such a bizarre sight to be walking across the beautiful sandy beaches of Seaside Hill only to see snow-blanketed mountains protruding up all around the area. To the two heroes, it felt as if somebody wanted to have summer and winter both at once and had to literally splice a hot and cold climate together in order to get what he wanted. The hedgehog and dragon were currently walking along the beach, searching for their friends. Lilac admired the beautiful scenery around her. She'd seen beaches on Avalice but this one looked extraordinarily attractive, more so than the beaches she'd been on. The sand was perfect and the sea was glorious, sparkling wonderfully in the wonderful sunshine. If only she and Sonic could enjoy this moment instead of spending their time looking for their friends. But as Sonic had declared, his friends came before anything and even Lilac shared that mind-set. The dragon walked over to a large rock standing nearby and she looked under it. The rock had another space underneath it for somebody to be hiding in so she decided to probe around.

"Hello? Anybody here?" Lilac asked, "Carol? Milla? Torque? You in here?"

The only response she got was the soft skittering sound of little legs walking across the sand and out from under the rock. Lilac watched the thing step out into the sun and scuttle sideways towards the sea. It was a hermit crab, a type of crab that was well known for carrying a shell on its back and using it as a living space. Lilac had never seen a crab before. They didn't exist on Avalice. Wanting to study it, the dragon followed the crab and picked it up by the shell. It wouldn't be able to pinch her with its claws if it wanted to now.

"Aww, you're a cute if funny little critter." she said with a smile, "Never seen anything like you before."

"You never seen a crab before?" asked Sonic, who had just been searching for his friends and had come over to see how Lilac was doing.

"Nope, not at all." the dragon admitted, "These things don't exist on my world. You said this is called a "crab" right?"

"I sure did." the hedgehog replied, walking up to Lilac and looking at the crab in her hands, "Crabs love the beach. They can survive on land or in water. I always thought that was kinda cool."

"I'll say, being able to survive two different climates at once, land and water." Lilac nodded, putting the crab down and letting it scuttle away towards the ocean, "Being a water dragon, I myself am able to survive long periods underwater. The longest I've ever lasted in the water is about an hour before I had to come up for air."

"That's pretty sweet!" Sonic exclaimed, "As for me well…let's just say that water isn't exactly my best friend." he said, rubbing the back of his head as if ashamed to admit this.

"You don't like water?"

"Nope. I can't even swim for that matter."

"Well if we end up in water at all, I'll be on hand to help you Sonic."

"Thanks Lilac."

The two very different yet very similar heroes smiled at each other. They had only just met and yet the two felt as if they were just in the beginning stages of a very, very lovely friendship. A friendship that they both knew couldn't last. Once their worlds were restored to normal, they'd likely never see each other again. But they could always use space-travel to see each other. Sonic could fly in the Blue Typhoon and Lilac could fly in Torque's rocket. Just thinking about that suddenly made them think about their missing friends again and they both resumed their search. Sonic cupped his hands around his mouth and called.

"Yo Tails! You around? Knuckles! Come out and show your fiery redhead! Amy, Cream? Where are you?!"

The only response he received was the gentle whooshing sound of the waves lapping at the shore. The hedgehog was determined not to give up though. Giving up was not in his nature at all. Even in his darkest hours he never gave up. He just did what he always did: kept on running. Sonic sped off, kicking up sand behind him as he zoomed across the beach. Lilac ran after him, stilling keeping a look out for her friends. The two hadn't found anybody since the search had started and were both beginning to get deeply concerned for their comrades. Were they OK? That was the one thing they hoped more than anything.

In a matter of minutes, the two anthro-animals had searched the entire beach but had come up completely empty-handed. They had found nobody at all in their search and the hedgehog and dragon began wondering if it was worth going up the snowy mountains nearby to see if any of their friends were up in them. It was going to be cold up in them but it was worth a search. But just as the two began heading towards a nearby mountain, they both noticed something strange. There was a city standing proudly near the Seaside Hill/Glacier Mountains fusion. The city, much like everything else, was a fusion of a city from Sonic's world and a city from Lilac's world. It looked like some kind of big city with high reaching skyscrapers and tower blocks but it also had red coloured buildings that had a Chinese theme in their architecture going on. Sonic and Lilac peered at the city and they both recognized instantly what either side was.

"Hey, that looks like Westopolis!" Sonic cried.

"And it looks as if it's mixed with Shang Mu!" Lilac noted.

"What's Shang Mu on your world then?" asked Sonic.

"One of three kingdoms that Avalice is famous for." explained Lilac, "It's run by a man named Mayor Zao, a short guy with a big ego but his heart is usually in the right place. He's quite pleasant to be around when you're on his good side."

"I see. I bet his ego's not as big as mine though." the hedgehog chuckled.

"I wouldn't wanna find out..." the dragon laughed, "So what's Westopolis then?"

"One of Mobius's capital cities." Sonic replied, "It's run by the President of Westopolis, a guy who's lucky to have good ol' me on his good side. I've saved his life and his city on many occasions. He'll probably be begging for me to sort out this weird fusion world we're in."

"Will he like me?"

"He should do. I mean he's never been one to turn his nose up against anybody who likes to help save the day."

"Mayor Zao is like that too, especially when his kingdom's the one we're saving." Lilac nodded, "I wonder if the president and the mayor have met each other at all?"

"Only one way to find out." Sonic declared, "Let's go and see them, as well as keep another eye out for our friends. With any luck, the president and mayor might've seen them."

"Let's hope so."

With that idea in mind, Sonic and Lilac sped off towards the Westopolis and Shang Mu fusion city. They thought that a good name to call it would be "Shangopolis" to make it easier for themselves. As they neared the city, the two could only wonder what it would be like to wonder through a city that had a side familiar to either of them and a side foreign to either of them. And what surprises lay in store them in the city...?

* * *

Meanwhile, high up in the realms of space, a sinister ship cruised over the combined world. It was a ship like no other ship that had been made before. It was a ship that would defy anybody's expectations of what a ship could look like. The ship looked like the Death Egg V...but it had some very obvious differences to it. There were three spikes that protruded up from between the Death Egg's "eyes" and it had huge engines that protruded from the back. It also had new weapons that weren't part of the original ship and the back of the Death Egg was elongated. The ship's unusual design made it look very intimidating and it looked like it had a lot of firepower in its new weapons. This was a ship that was clearly designed to destroy and destroy large portions of anything. This ship was Lord Brevon and Dr. Eggman's new vessel, a terrifying hybrid mix of the Death Egg V and the Dreadnought. Inside the new ship, the two villains admired their new interior. The interior was a mix of both their ships and both villains were impressed with how it looked. They had toured their entire ship, admiring every little detail of it, and now they had returned to the bridge to see how things were going. Orbot, Cubot, Serpentine and Syntax were commanding everything and they seemed to be keeping the ship nice and steady. The two villains smiled. What a magnificent vessel they now shared! They would be all too happy to take it for themselves when the time was right for them to betray each other.

"I like our combined vessel!" Eggman cried.

 **"It's quite impressive how our two ships have fused together into something so magnificent."** Brevon purred, **"This ship will be perfect for my army and to also save my world."**

"Your world's in danger?" the doctor asked.

 **"Yes, but that is another story."** the warlord said, **"Right now, we have more important matters at hand."**

"I agree, such as the destruction of our enemies." Eggman agreed, "But first, what do you think we should call our new ship? The Death Egg Supreme?"

 **"I was thinking the Dreadnought Mk III."** Brevon muttered.

The two villains glared at each other as they thought on which name they should pick. But in the end, the two knew that it would be better not to start an argument over something so insignificant. Also now was not the right time to break off the alliance, not with their enemies still at large.

"Alright, let's compromise." Eggman decided, "How about we call it the Dreadnought Egg?"

 **"I do not really approve of the name but it'll have to do."** Brevon sighed, clearly looking irritated at the fact he had just said such a thing.

"Dreadnought Egg it is then!" the fat scientist exclaimed, "So Brevon, shall we take the Dreadnought Egg for a spin?"

 **"We must admire our handiwork doctor, see what our Kingdom Emerald has done to Mobius and Avalice."** the warlord agreed, **"Let us see what Mobius and Avalice look like...combined."**

"Indeed so my good friend!" Eggman said brightly, "Though what shall our new world be called? Mobalice? Avaius?"

 **"We do not need to give everything a name doctor!"** Brevon snarled irritably.

Eggman recoiled, already thinking that he did not want to see Brevon's bad side at its worse. That simple snarl was enough to tell him that he was an alien who had a short fuse and would strike hard against anybody who riled him. Eggman nodded understandably.

"OK, OK, we'll drop the naming thing..." he said, "Ahem, never mind. Let's descend down to our new world! Orbot, Cubot, get the ship's engines running!"

 **"Serpentine, Syntax, keep the vessel stable and prime our weapons systems!"** Brevon barked.

"Sure thing boss." Orbot said casually.

"Zis is gonna be a fun voyage ma friends!" Cubot cried out excitedly, his voice chip now displaying a French accent.

"We'll follow your orders to the letter my lord!" Serpentine called back.

"Weapons will be operational momentarily." Syntax droned.

The Dreadnought Egg's engines kicked in and began to blaze brilliantly as they pushed the huge fusion vessel forward. The weapons began to glow a fluorescent green inside the barrels, readying themselves for when they were needed. The Dreadnought Egg turned to the right a few inches and then began to dip down, heading straight towards the fusion world below them. The planet didn't look very different from up above since both Mobius and Avalice were blue and green in colour. But down below, the two villains knew that the world would be very different. The Dreadnought Egg ploughed through the atmosphere and dived straight on through the clouds. The clouds seemed to part as if afraid of the insidious ship. As the Dreadnought Egg got closer to the ground, Eggman and Brevon looked at the screens on the control panel to see what was waiting for them outside. They saw what their glorious handiwork had done with the Kingdom Emerald's power. Mobius and Avalice were now one with many elements of either world prominent as they flew over the landscape. Both Eggman and Brevon even recognized what came from Mobius and what came from Avalice. Their plan had succeeded and now they had a beautiful combined world to rule over, and inside the limbo that had linked the portals between the two worlds no less. The portals were closed now to prevent anybody from straying inside, meaning that everybody was now trapped on the planet with no way of escaping unless they opened the portals again. And with the Kingdom Emerald being the only power source that had that kind of power in Eggman and Brevon's custody, that was not going to happen. Eggman and Brevon both admired the view that their screens showed them.

"It's worked so brilliantly!" Eggman cried, "Look at this! We have a whole world under our rule! And it's a mixture of our enemies' worlds, meaning that no matter where they go, they'll run into either of us or both of us!"

 **"They'll never be free of us...not as long as we're in charge."** Brevon declared, **"I wonder what the dragon girl thinks to all of this..."**

"I bet she's horrified, just like Sonic will be!" Eggman chortled, "Let's find them and give them a warm welcome!"

 **"One that they'll not be happy to receive..."** Brevon purred.

They stared at their screens as the Dreadnought Egg flew over the landscape, passing over what looked like parts of Relic Maze and parts of Dragon Valley mixed up with pieces of Ocean Palace and Chemical Plant Zone. It was definitely one of the stranger hybrid zones on the planet. Nature and industry collided violently with each other, resulting in a very badly pieced together world that screamed unnatural. Not that the evil doctor and warlord cared. They were just happy that their plan had worked so beautifully. As they flew over the zone though, they didn't realize that they had just flown over Knuckles and Carol. The echidna and wildcat had left Jade Creek and were walking through the fusion zone together. It was the only zone standing between their destination, which was Shang Tu. Knuckles stood upon a pipe spewing Mega Muck and watched the ship fly over. Carol was in a tree and she saw the ship too. Both of them were stunned at the sight of it.

"Whoa, what the heck is that?" Carol exclaimed.

"Looks like a flying egg...only uglier." Knuckles murmured, "Is that...a new Eggman ship?"

"Eggman? Pssst, ha, ha, ha! What kind of silly name is that?!" Carol snorted, laughing.

"The name of Mobius's worst enemy..." Knuckles replied, "I bet Eggman caused all of this! He and that freak with the big eyebrows who stole the Master Emerald earlier!"

"Freak with the big eyebrows?" the wildcat questioned.

"I forgot to tell ya earlier. You know how I said the Master Emerald keeps Angel Island afloat?" the echidna explained, "It was taken by some weirdo green alien with a growling voice and thick armour. And as I said, he has big eyebrows. He's weird but serious. He gave Sonic himself a hard time. Do you know him?"

Carol nodded her head, her face very pale with fright from what she had just heard.

"I do...I wish I didn't though." she replied, "That Spiky, is Lord Brevon, Avalice's worst enemy. He tried to steal our Kingdom Stone last month to power up his ship and get away. Me and Lilac stopped him luckily but I guess he's now targeting your world. And your Master Emerald's now in his hands...just like the Kingdom Stone's energy is in the hands of that fat, egg-shaped weirdo with the funny moustache and the loud grating voice." She paused for a moment and then suddenly asked, "Say, is he that Eggman guy you mentioned earlier?"

"You bet." Knuckles murmured, "You're indeed referring to Dr. Eggman. You said he stole your Kingdom Stone's energy?"

"You bet Spiky."

"So our worst enemies steal powerful energies from our worlds..."

"That can't be a coincidence."

"It isn't. It's a conspiracy and they must be behind it! I bet they've mixed our worlds up together!"

"Then let's chase after that ship of theirs and pound them in the dirt!" Carol cried.

"That's what I was thinking..." Knuckles grumbled, glaring at the ship, "We'll follow them. With any luck, they might end up helping us find our friends on the way. They might run into us or see us and follow us while we're chasing."

"That sounds like a good idea!" Carol said excitedly, "Let's get at it dude!"

"Right behind you Carol." Knuckles said with a smile, admiring his new friend's determination. It reminded him much of himself when he was on guard duty.

The echidna and wildcat jumped down onto the ground and ran off after the Dreadnought Egg. They would follow it as closely as possible and once it landed or if they found a way to get onboard, Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon would have a lot to answer for...

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic and Lilac had arrived at the fusion city. Up close, the bizarre hybrid of Westopolis and Shang Mu just looked even more amazing and the dragon and hedgehog could barely keep their eyes off of what they were walking through. Whole streets had red Chinese buildings and skyscrapers dotted around them, all failing to gel together naturally and look like a reasonable place to live in. The bizarre architecture was even making the locals confused and worried on what had happened. Avalicians had woken up to find themselves surrounded by humans and weird buildings from beyond their world and the humans had woken up to find themselves looking at something that might be more at place in a Chinatown area of some big city in the world. They assumed that they were looking at new Mobians but wondered why they'd never shown up before. Sonic and Lilac could understand why everybody looked so concerned. This was clearly not a normal occurrence for either Mobius or Avalice. What had Brevon and Eggman done in order to make this crazy world exist?

"You know, I bet this would be a LOT more pleasant if it was me visiting Shang Mu or you visiting Westopolis." Sonic said disapprovingly, "This is just too weird."

"I know. It's like our cities are fighting for space in here..." Lilac murmured, "I hope we can fix this mess and restore peace to our worlds."

"Me too Lilac." the Mobian said grimly, "I've gotta say," he added, glancing at the large portion of people walking around, "The people of Westopolis don't seem too startled at the sight of your people."

"Maybe they think they're your people." the Avalician suggested, "As for these other people...what the hell are they?!" she cried, staring at the humans, "They look so weird! So pale and fleshy and lacking any fur or scales! They don't look very healthy..."

"Those Lilac are called "humans"." Sonic explained, "They populate Mobius along with us. We co-exist with each other quite peacefully amazingly enough."

"I've never seen anything so weird in all my life!" Lilac exclaimed, "I'm glad we don't have people this weird on Avalice. I don't think I could stomach how strange they look..."

"You'd have gotten used to it if humans lived with Avalicians all their lives." Sonic noted, "And it's funny you should mention stomach...I'm actually getting kinda hungry." he added, putting his hand over his rumbling tummy.

"Me too. I didn't even have all my breakfast before this happened..." Lilac muttered, feeling her growling stomach, "I hope there's a sushi bar somewhere around here. Shang Mu has plenty of those."

"You go on ahead and look." said Sonic, "I'm gonna run off and see if I can find a chilli-dog stand around here."

"Chilli-dog?"

"My favourite food in the world! You never had one before?"

"Never. Avalice does sell them but I've never actually tried one myself."

"Then I'll get one for you to try if that's OK." Sonic offered.

"That's very nice of you." Lilac said brightly, "And I'll get you some sushi to try in return."

"Cool. Never tried sushi before." the hedgehog said.

"Then I guess we're both in for a treat." the dragon said with a wink.

The two heroes ran off to search for their favourite foods. To their luck, there was indeed a chilli-dog stand and a sushi bar nearby in this strange city of Shangopolis. Sonic arrived at the stand and ordered himself a couple of chilli-dogs with onions and cheese on them. The stand owner, although looking shaken from the fusion process that had brought Mobius and Avalice together, served Sonic up, knowing that the hedgehog would go off to sort out the problem once he'd eaten. Lilac arrived at the sushi bar, noticing that the bar looked exactly like it did back on Shang Mu on the inside with no differences whatsoever, and she ordered herself a box of sushi. She was served quickly and given a pair of chopsticks to eat them with. The bar owner seemed happy to see her, clearly recognizing her as the one who had saved Avalice and was wondering if she was going to fix the world. Now they had their meals, Sonic and Lilac met up with each other again and began to tuck in. Sonic ate his chilli-dog in one whole bite whereas Lilac ate half of the box of sushi she had. Once they'd finished, Sonic handed over his second chilli-dog and Lilac handed Sonic the rest of her sushi. Lilac looked at the chilli-covered hot-dog and sniffed it.

"That smells so nice!" she cried, "Just like they did on Avalice!"

"The taste is even better. Believe me." Sonic winked, "And this sushi sure looks good."

Lilac smiled and then she brought the chilli-dog to her lips. Sonic picked up the chopsticks and grabbed a roll of sushi. Then both hedgehog and dragon took a bite out of the new foods they were trying. Lilac's eyes widened and her smile spread out with glee. Sonic chewed slowly but clearly seemed to be enjoying the taste. Then they both swallowed.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Lilac squealed, "The taste, it's so...WOW!"

"Knew you'd like it!" Sonic chuckled, "And this sushi is quite nice two. Guess we have something in common then."

"Yep, we have good tastes." the dragon giggled, taking another bite out of the chilli-dog.

"We sure do." the hedgehog agreed, picking up another sushi roll and eating it.

In a matter of moments, the two animal heroes finished off their meals. Now they had satisfied their hunger, they could focus on finding their friends and sorting out the mixing up of their worlds.

"So any ideas where to start looking?" Lilac asked.

"In a city this big, anywhere's a good place to start looking." Sonic noted, "And given our speed, we'll search this entire place in seconds!"

"But what if we come up empty-handed? Then where will we go next?" the Avalician heroine questioned, "We'll be on a wild goose chase!"

"That's a good point…" the Mobian hero admitted, "Maybe we could find the president and this Mayor Zao guy you talked about and ask them to give us a hand. G.U.N. will definitely have the resources necessary to mount a planet wide search. They have soldiers and robots and stuff."

"And Zao has a big army, he'll be able to send troops far and wide to search for our friends." added Lilac, "That depends if the whole army ended up here with him…"

Then suddenly, a terrifying crashing sound was heard from a few storeys up and very close by. The sound was so ear-splittingly loud that it made Sonic and Lilac jumped a foot in the air in alarm. The sound had caught everybody else's attention too. Nearby humans and Avalicians stared up in disbelief as shards of glass rained down from a broken window in a nearby building. Somebody had jumped through the window and was now hurling down towards the ground like a falling rock. Sonic and Lilac watched as the fleeing person fell down from about six storeys and grabbed onto a nearby flag hanging from a Shang Mu building. Now he was stuck trying to pull himself up onto the flag and onto the rooftop, the two heroes could get a better look at the obvious criminal they were now watching. It was a panda, clearly male and with grey, white and black fur with emerald green eyes. He wore a vest top, fingerless gloves, red sunglasses, brown trousers and black shoes. His most noticeable trademark was a red neckerchief he wore around his neck. He had a bag tied around his waist, presumably full of stolen goods. Lilac gasped in horror. She recognized the criminal instantly for he was somebody he knew from her own world.

"SPADE?!" she exclaimed, "What's he doing here?!"

"So I take it you know Mr. Obviously-A-Bad-Guy then?" asked Sonic.

"I wish I could say no…" Lilac growled, "He's a thief and a murderer who works for the scummy criminal group known as the Red Scarves! I used to be in the group until he crossed the line and gave me a good reason to quit!"

"So on the list of enemies, does he fall under the category of "Old Friend, Now an Enemy"?"

"Yes. And he's not getting away with whatever he's doing! Let's catch him!"

"Too easy, piece of cake!"

Sonic cracked his knuckles, clearly thinking that Spade was going to be easy for him to take down. He and Lilac sped off towards the building just as Spade climbed up from the flag and darted along the rooftop, leaving green after-images behind as he boosted. Sonic and Lilac ran straight up the building, their speed carrying them effortlessly up the vertical angle, and they jumped onto the roof just as Spade reached the edge and leapt onto another building nearby. The two heroes sped off after him, desperate to catch him before he got away.

"Wow, that guy looks like he can move fast!" Sonic gasped, watching as Spade flash-stepped ahead.

"He CAN move fast. It's what makes him so efficient at his job!" Lilac retorted.

"Then let's see if he's fast enough to dodge this hedgehog!" laughed Sonic cockily.

As he and Lilac reached the edge of the roof, he suddenly spin-dashed and rocketed towards Spade as he jumped up onto a higher building just ahead. As Spade left the roof, Sonic landed in his spot and spin-dashed up after him just as the Red Scarf hurled up towards the roof. Spade nearly made it but Sonic was just a fraction too fast for him. The hedgehog hit him and sent him spiralling through the air and onto his side, landing very close to a cooling vent and wincing in pain as he scraped his arm. Lilac dragon-boosted up onto the building after the two and as she landed, Sonic stood over Spade and watched as the stricken assassin picked himself up. He gritted his teeth and glared at Sonic. The hedgehog just smirked at him.

"Hey there Spade. Allow me to introduce myself." he preened, "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, a new friend of Lilac's here. And I'm gonna be your official butt-kicker for today. Stealing things and making a run for it does NOT settle well with me."

"You better damn well stay out of my way Sonic before you end up as a pile of bite-sized pieces!" Spade snarled, drawing out five cards, "So what's the deal Lilac? You decided to get your new boyfriend to chase me down?" he added, smirking.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Lilac snapped, "He's somebody who just wants to help us restore our world to normal! Now stand down before you get a big, throbbing headache you piece of dirt!"

"Sorry traitor, but I'm kinda busy right now." the panda murmured, drawing his arm back and preparing to throw his cards, "I just stole a bunch of impressive gems from one of the strange buildings of this strange new world and I can't afford to lose them right now. Not when they can help me get a new gang while I'm here!"

"You don't need to get yourself a new gang or anything!" the dragon protested, "Me and Sonic are gonna fix this world! Our world has combined with Sonic's world and we're gonna put everything back to normal! You'll get your gang back!"

"You think I'm gonna listen to your lies?" Spade growled, "Especially after the fact Sonic just hit me unprovoked? Nice try Lilac but you're gonna have to try harder than that to fool me!"

"I don't think Ace of Spades here is in a listening mood…" Sonic sighed.

"Then we'll have to make him listen!" Lilac declared.

She then curled up into a ball and boosted straight towards Spade and a bright sparkling charge. Sonic watched, impressed with her attack. She looked like a whizzing arrow rushing eagerly towards its target in order to claim it. Spade tried to dodge but he was too slow, his reaction time hindered by the earlier attack from Sonic. Lilac hit him square on, throwing him over the cooling vent and sending him crashing into the tiny wall that stood up all around the roof. The bag of stolen jewels flew off of Spade's shoulder as he hit it but just before it could go flying over the edge, Sonic sped towards him and grabbed the bag. He flung it over to the cooling vent so it could stay safe and out of harm's way. He did not want whatever Spade had stolen to get broken at any point in the fight or else he'd have a very angry jewel shop owner to deal with. The panda picked himself up and threw his hand of cards. He threw four kings and a joker card at his two opponents. Lilac spun around on the spot, whipping the cards away with her tendrils. But the cards were merely distractions. As soon as Lilac had stopped spinning, Spade suddenly boosted towards her and slugged her in the stomach. This in turn knocked the wind straight out of her and left her gasping for breath. As she keeled over, Spade clasped his fists together and was about to slam them down on Lilac's head. But Sonic came rushing towards him, forcing the Red Scarf to switch opponents. He instead swung his fists sideways and walloped Sonic in the side of his head. His perfectly timed blow ended up sending Sonic careening to the right and crashing into the cooling vent.

The panda drew out a card, a Queen of Diamonds, and he advanced on Sonic with it. His cards were not what they seemed. They were razor sharp and very, very dangerous weapons. Spade could cut his enemies to pieces if he so wished, especially since he wielded an endless supply of cards. He held his card and he prepared to slit Sonic's throat as the hedgehog stood up. But before he could slash him, Lilac ran up behind Spade and seized his hand. She sharply yanked it aside, forcing the panda to drop the card and then she swung him around and kicked him onto his side. Spade hit the steel floor of the roof but he quickly picked himself up and threw another handful of cards at his draconian nemesis. Lilac whipped them away but this time, Spade's distraction didn't work. Just as the panda prepared to attack, Sonic sprang into the air and stomp-kicked Spade directly in the face. The blow sent the panda staggering backwards, clutching his face in agony. Lilac sprinted over and grabbed hold of her former ally's arm just as he stumbled too close to the edge and she yanked him back. Spade wasn't grateful in the slightest. He even "thanked" Lilac for the save by promptly kicking her in the thigh and bringing her down onto one knee. The dragon hissed in pain and rubbed her thigh. Spade then back-handed Lilac onto her side and drew out another card, this one a Jack of Clubs. He saw Sonic speeding towards him and he threw the card at him. Sonic jumped straight over it but just as he landed in front of the panda, Spade lashed out and jabbed the hedgehog in the gut with two of his fingers outstretched. Sonic doubled over and grimaced, rubbing his gut vigorously. Spade then spun around on his heels and roundhouse kicked Sonic in the side of his head, whisking him off his feet and onto his side.

The hedgehog didn't stay down for long though. He picked himself up and threw a terrific upwards punch that sent his opponent staggering backwards. Spade's head had snapped back with such force that he thought for a moment he was going to get whiplash. Spade stumbled and then he tripped over Lilac just as she picked herself up. Down on his back, the panda wasn't quick enough to recover as Lilac then suddenly elbow-thrusted him directly in the middle of his gut, making him wheeze loudly and splutter. Then Lilac picked Spade up and slammed him against the cooling vent, pinning him. She pressed on hard against Spade's shoulders but the thief managed to break free by summoning a card to his hand and drawing it across Lilac's side. This in turn led a thin red line that began to sting in pain and Lilac's grip loosened. It was enough for the panda to push her away and then leap over the cooling vent. He was about to flee the battlefield until Sonic suddenly slid across the roof on his side and took Spade's feet out from underneath him. The panda cried out as he fell flat onto his face. Just as he stood back up, Sonic and Lilac both pile-dived him at once with their strongest attacks, throwing their opponent straight off the building and falling down onto another building just below. Sonic and Lilac fell with him and to make sure that Spade didn't get brutally injured in the impact, they grabbed hold of him. The hedgehog and dragon both landed on the lower building, wincing as pain surged up their feet and climbed up to their legs. They both dropped Spade onto the floor and the panda quickly jumped back up onto his feet. He drew out some cards and prepared to throw them as Sonic and Lilac readied themselves for another onslaught.

But just before the fight could continue, a huge green spear of energy suddenly shot out from behind Spade and hit him squarely in the back. The panda screamed in pain and fell down onto his knees in agony. Then suddenly, two new faces suddenly appeared on the rooftop just beside the stricken thief. Sonic recognized them both instantly as Shadow the Hedgehog and his femme fatale partner Rouge the Bat. Lilac stared at the two, taking in their appearances and watching as they moved in to apprehend Spade. It amazed the dragon girl as to how much Shadow looked like Sonic. The things that differed him from the blue hedgehog were his black fur with red stripes, differently designed gloves, jet shoes, chest fur and the fact his side quills pointed up instead of down. Rouge was a stunning looking woman with a curvaceous figure and a skin-tight bodysuit that looked a little too suggestive for Lilac's tastes. Spade turned to glare at his attacker just as Shadow approached him, fists clenched and his eyes narrowed to a hard-core scowl.

"Damn it, didn't I deal with you and your attractive henchwoman earlier?!" Spade growled.

"You should know better than to think you can escape the Ultimate Lifeform criminal." Shadow snarled, "You merely slowed me and Rouge down, nothing more."

"Now that we got you, you're going to jail for stealing from G.U.N.'s headquarters robber-boy." Rouge purred, her voice sweet and seductive but clearly faked just to tease Spade.

"Hey Shadow, Rouge! Glad to see ya!" Sonic cried excitedly.

"So faker, you've ended up on this weird world too?" Shadow asked, glancing up at his friendly rival.

"What, you think we're on a different planet or something?" the hero of Mobius asked, "Nah Shadow, it's a little more complicated than that. You see…our world has mixed up with another world called Avalice."

"Bits of Mobius and bits of Avalice have combined to make strange new places." Lilac added, "And…bring us together. My name is Lilac and I'm one of the locals from Avalice, the world that has mysteriously crossed over with yours."

"Well Sonic, you sure picked a cutie didn't you?" Rouge chuckled, winking at the hedgehog, "What's the matter? Amy too annoying for you? What's your new girlfriend like? Is she as cute as you can be at times Sonic?"

Lilac blushed bright red whereas Sonic just frowned in annoyance.

"She is NOT my girlfriend!" Sonic grumbled, "She's a girl who's a friend who comes from another planet that has mixed up with ours and we need to find a way to restore our worlds to normal!"

"What do you mean?" asked Shadow, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Haven't you noticed that Westopolis kinda looks…wrong?" Sonic retorted, motioning to the Shang My buildings around the city.

"Those buildings are from Shang Mu, a city on my planet." explained Lilac, "And that's not all. Me and Sonic met up in an area that looked as if Relic Maze and Dragon Valley from Avalice mixed up with your world's Green Hill Zone and Lost Jungle respectively."

"I see…" Shadow mused, nodding understandingly, "Is this red-scarfed criminal from your world too Lilac?" he added, glaring at Spade.

"He is so I'm sorry but you can't arrest him." the dragon said, "He has to come back to my world to pay for his crimes. But first, he can give back the jewels that he stole. He left them behind on that building up there." she pointed up at the building she, Sonic and Spade had been fighting on.

"I'll get them." Rouge offered, "You three make sure ninja boy doesn't get away."

She flapped her wings and flew off up towards the building to get back the stolen jewels. As she left, Shadow turned to Lilac.

"So you're from the world that has mixed up with ours you say?" he said, "How do you think this happened?"

"We don't think, we KNOW how this happened." Sonic corrected, "You see, before the combination, a guy from Lilac's universe named Lord Brevon stole the Master Emerald…"

"…and your world's Dr. Eggman stole my world's Kingdom Energy." Lilac added, "After they were stolen, I chased after Eggman with my friends but a big white light happened and…now we're here."

"Same happened when my friends and I ran after Brevon."

"White light…"

Shadow pursed his lips and thought for a moment while also keeping a hold on Spade so he couldn't get away.

"Yes, I remember now!" he yelled, snapping his fingers, "Me and Rouge were in G.U.N. HQ and then suddenly, a big white light shone over everything and then we woke up…with Westopolis changed. And now we know how it happened. Thank you for this information Sonic and Lilac. I'll explain this to Commander Tower. The old coot's up in arms about all of this."

"I bet he is…" Sonic murmured, "Speaking of G.U.N., me and Lilac are looking for our friends. We were wondering if you and your troops could mount a search part for them."

"I'll inform them immediately." the black hedgehog offered.

"Thanks tall, dark and angsty." the blue hedgehog snickered, "Oh and quick question: how's the president?"

"He's fine although as of this fusing of our worlds, the White House has fused together with some red and gold palace and he's now sharing seats with a short furry guy with a big hat." Shadow explained, "I assume this is your world again Lilac?"

"It is indeed Shadow." Lilac confirmed, "The president's place and Mayor Zao's palace must've fused together. I hope Zao isn't too cranky about that…"

"We'll go and see them since Lilac knows Zao and she says he has an army that could help find our friends." Sonic said, "G.U.N. can search for my friends and Zao can look for Lilac's friends."

"Good plan." Shadow agreed, "And then we can stop the doctor and Lilac's nemesis and restore our worlds to normal."

"That's the plan." Lilac smiled, "And Spade, I'm gonna give you this once chance." she said coldly, looking down at the panda, "Let us put aside our rivalry so that we can save our world. The man who murdered your father is responsible for this so you have every right to help us defeat him. Please…will you join us?"

Spade scowled but then he relaxed and sighed. It was clear that he had made up his mind and his softened expression meant that it was the more peaceful option.

"This doesn't change anything between us…but for now, I'm OK with playing Good Samaritan." he said darkly, "I'm ONLY doing this to get back at my father's killer though, not you, not your new friend or anybody."

"That's fine with me." Lilac said grimly, "So we have a truce?"

"Until Brevon's defeated and our world is separated…" Spade swore, shaking hands with Lilac.

"That's cool, we're all buddy-buddies now!" Sonic laughed, "Now then, let's get on over to the president and Zao and…"

Before the hedgehog could finish his sentence, he was rudely cut off by something that caught him and the others completely off-guard. The ground began to shudder and a low rumbling noise boomed through the city. The buildings began to shake too, Sonic, Shadow, Spade and Lilac all crying out as they felt the shuddering beneath their feet. It was as if somebody had grabbed the city and started shaking it like a rattle. The people down below began to feel nervous and start chattering anxiously. It was like the city had assumed some giant explosion was going to happen and were bracing themselves for the impact. Rouge flew down from the building, the stolen jewels in her hands and she watched with disbelief as everything shuddered. The rumbling pounded in her ears and made her wince. She touched down beside Sonic and felt the shuddering on her feet. But then suddenly, as quickly as it had started, the shaking stopped and everything became still once again. The rumbling had even silenced. Sonic waited for a moment to make doubly sure that everything was fine and that they were safe. Then he sighed with relief and addressed everybody.

"Well this is new. I never knew Westopolis was an earthquake zone…" he said.

"It isn't…" Rouge said darkly.

"It could be a slight side effect of the worlds combining together." Shadow guessed, "That might have been the final thing to insure that the process is over."

"I hope you're right." Lilac said wearily, "That earthquake was scary…I thought the building was gonna collapse with us on it!"

"Thankfully it didn't." Spade said, sounding genuinely pleased to be saying that.

"Well if it happens again, we might have to investigate it." Sonic decided, "But first, our friends need finding. Shadow and Rogue, call G.U.N. and get them looking for Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Cream. Lilac, Spade, you're coming with me to see the president and Mayor Zao so we can get the mayor to search for Lilac's buddies."

Shadow and Rouge nodded and then ran off to do their task. As soon as they had left, Sonic, Lilac and Spade all jumped off the building together and landed on the pavement. Then Sonic sped off, his feet moving at top speed as he ran through the streets. Lilac and Spade ran after him, boosting as fast they could in order to keep up with him. They knew that Sonic would be able to lead them to the President of Westopolis for he knew the Westopolis area of the city well. Lilac just couldn't help but wonder how Zao was taking all of this currently…and if her friends were as baffled about what had happened as she was…

* * *

Meanwhile, Tails and Torque had managed to get their ships up and running and were now cruising through the air in search of their friends. The enormous Blue Typhoon dwarfed Torque's rocket as they flew side by side in the sky together. It amazed the Chaser as to how a boy as young as Tails had actually managed to build such a big ship. Torque himself had never built anything as big as the Blue Typhoon when he was that young. Despite the praise he'd received about the ship, Tails had been modest about it and had just simply told Torque that all ships are amazing, no matter their size.

The two had been searching for a good half hour now, flying over many hybrid zones and taking in just how bizarre everything looked with Mobius and Avalice mixed up together. It really did look as if somebody had snatched up their worlds, took them apart piece by piece and then stuck them back together again with several pieces from each planet mixed up together. If Eggman and Brevon had indeed teamed up and done this then the two would go to any lengths necessary to undo their mess. In the cockpit of the Blue Typhoon, Tails glanced at his computer screen to see if he'd found anybody familiar yet. The scanner came up with nothing. He still hadn't found anybody yet.

"Oh where could they be…?" he whined to himself, "In this mixed up world, they could be anywhere! I just hope we'll find them eventually…"

He then pressed a button on the control panel and spoke into a speaker mounted nearby.

"Tails to Torque, Tails to Torque. I haven't found anybody still." he reported, "How about you?"

"Not a thing little guy." the alien replied sadly, "But we'll keep searching, we can't give up on our friends."

"Indeed. They never gave up on us so we'll do the same." Tails declared, "I just hope that Eggman and Brevon haven't got them or anything…"

"I sure hope so too." Torque murmured, "I don't want to lose Lilac, Carol or Milla to that monster and I don't want your friends to join the long list of heroes that have been slayed by Brevon."

"Is he really that dangerous?"

"You and your friends fought him so you should know."

"Well I was actually tied up with his henchmen so I didn't actually fight Brevon himself." Tails admitted, "But he gave Sonic a tough time so…I think I can believe you when you say he's not to be taken lightly."

"Believe me Tails, taking Brevon lightly is the last thing you wanna do…" Torque said gravely.

"And the same goes for Eggman." the fox said, "While he hasn't actually killed anybody, he's still pretty threatening when he wants to be. He blew up half the moon with a space-station known as Space Colony ARK one time. And then there was the time he split our planet into pieces and unleashed Dark Gaia."

"Whoa…sounds like me and my friends were unlucky to have been visited by him then…"

"Just like we had the misfortune of meeting Lord Brevon…"

"Hey Tails, look! There's a city up ahead!" Torque suddenly cried.

Tails shook his head and looked up to see where the Blue Typhoon was heading now. His eyes widened as he saw a sight that was like all the other sights he saw on this world. Familiar yet different at the same time. He saw what clearly looked like Grand Metropolis up ahead but he could instantly tell that like many other zones, it had become a victim of the planets fusing together. There were blue buildings that looked hideously out of place against the ultra-modern appearance of Grand Metropolis. The new buildings looked more like they belonged in an earlier time period, and maybe even in Chun-Nan.

"It's Grand Metropolis!" Tails exclaimed, "But it's mixed up with something else. You recognize those blue buildings Torque?"

"Sure do. It's fused with Shang Tu, one of three kingdoms that rule over Avalice." Torque explained, "I wonder if the Magister could be of any help to us."

"Well let's find out." the fox said eagerly, "We'll look in that city and see what we can find."

"Right beside you buddy." the Chaser responded.

The Blue Typhoon and the rocket set their courses for straight ahead and began flying towards the fusion city. It was a good thing that they had come across the city for one of Tails's friends was in the big metropolis. Amy, Gong and Neera had been searching for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Cream for a while now and they had come up empty-handed. Amy had described what her friends looked like to the two pandas so they had a better idea on what they were looking for but still they hadn't found anybody. Amy sighed in annoyance as if irritated she couldn't find her friends.

"Oh man, this is gonna take longer than I thought…" she muttered, "My friends could be anywhere on this mix up of our worlds!"

"And given that we're not that familiar with Mobius, me and Neera can't exactly give you any ideas on where to look." Gong said sadly, "We'll never find them at this rate."

"If Lilac and her friends were here, they could probably help us." Neera suggested, "Especially that dog friend of theirs. She's good at tracking things apparently."

"I bet she is. Dogs usually are very good trackers." Amy agreed, "But she wouldn't be of any use. She won't know what my friends smell like. Let's face it, we're gonna be on a wild bear hunt at this rate."

"We should head back to the palace." Neera recommended, "Maybe the Magister could send his armies out to initiate a worldwide search for your comrades Amy. Gong could even lead the search."

"That could work." the heroine hedgehog said enthusiastically, "We'll try that idea then Neera."

"Hey girls, hang fire a moment." Gong suddenly ordered, "There appears to be something coming towards us. Something very big...and not of our world that's for sure."

The heavyweight panda had been looking up at the sky while the girls had been talking and he had seen something. Amy and Neera turned around and looked up at the sky, wondering what Gong had just spotted. To Amy's delight, it was the one thing she had been hoping to see, a sign that her friends were alright. The Blue Typhoon was coming towards the city! That had to mean that Tails was OK and that he was looking for the others like she was right now. But how could she catch his attention? Amy was sure that the Blue Typhoon had some kind of scanner that would detect her. But just in case it didn't, Amy decided to try her best to help Tails spot her.

"What is that thing?" asked Neera.

"It's the Blue Typhoon Neera." Amy explained, "Tails, one of my friends, owns that ship. He must be looking for me and the others!"

"Well then let's catch his attention so that he can take us onboard and help us find who you're looking for!" Gong cried.

"That's just what I was thinking." the she-hog replied.

Amy ran closer to the approaching ship and then began to jump up and down on the spot, waving her hands frantically in hopes of catching Tails's attention. Gong and Neera Li understood the girl's plan and decided to try and help her catch her friend's attention. Gong took his trademark shield off of his back and angled it just right so that the sun ended up shining on it. Neera held up her ice sceptre and began firing a few icy shots up into the sky. All of this combined with Amy's jumping was enough to catch Tails's attention. The fox saw the ice shots and a big glare of sunshine reflecting off a steel surface. He peered at his computer screen and saw that Amy was there, jumping up and down with two pandas behind her. He assumed that they were from Avalice and had been helping Amy search for him and the others. He sighed with relief. Finally, Tails had found somebody! He called Torque immediately to give the good news.

"Torque, I found Amy!" he reported, "And she's with two pandas, I assume you know them?"

"I do." Torque replied, "She's with General Gong and Neera Li. I should've expected those two to show up since they're from Shang Tu. I'll go down and bring them onboard your ship."

"Good idea. I'll standby and wait for you to deliver them." Tails said.

He grabbed the controls and set the ship into hover mode. The Blue Typhoon stopped moving and it stood still, looming above the ground like a giant bee hovering over a flower. Torque's rocket headed on towards Amy and the pandas and it began to rise up into a vertical position. Gong and Neera Li knew who the rocket belonged to but Amy didn't. The hedgehog stared at it, wondering who it belonged to. Maybe Tails had an Avalician friend too. The rocket lowered down towards the ground, its engines blowing a breeze that swept over everything. Amy's dress and hair began to blow furiously in the wind. Gong held up his shield to keep the breeze off of him as the rocket landed. The engines eventually died down and the rocket fell silent. Then the boarding ramp lowered and Torque stepped out of the rocket. Amy stared at him in wonder. He was an unusual looking character but he was pretty pleasant looking. Maybe for once she was meeting a friendly alien. Torque walked up to Amy.

"Hello Amy Rose." he said politely, "My new friend Tails told me about you. He says you're one of his friends that he's looking for. And it looks as if we've found you."

"And you couldn't have picked a better time to find me!" Amy exclaimed, "I've been looking all over for my friends! Thank goodness one of them's found me! So who are you then? Are you from Avalice like Gong and Neera?"

"Nope, but I'm from the universe Avalice is in." Torque explained, "My name's Torque and I'm helping Tails find you and the rest of his friends, as well as my friends from Avalice."

"Well that's very nice of you." Amy said brightly, "Helping total strangers like me and Tails find our friends. I don't know how to thank you."

"No thanks necessary." Torque said casually, "I'm just all too happy to do whatever it takes to restore our worlds to normal."

"You're not the only one..." Neera muttered, glaring at the Grand Metropolis sections of the city.

"Come on then." the Chaser commanded, "Get in. I'm gonna take you all onboard the Blue Typhoon and then we can continue our search."

"Right behind you space man!" Gong announced.

Torque turned and walked back into his rocket with Amy, Neera Li and General Gong walking in after him. Amy could barely keep the smile off her face as she stepped into the rocket. She now had a bigger chance of finding her friends! Tails's ship would make the journey a lot shorter and make it easier to find everybody! She could hardly wait to reunite with Sonic, Knuckles and Cream. And she could also hardly wait to fix what had been done to Mobius and Avalice. She still couldn't help but wonder...how had it happened? Now she was back with Tails, he would likely have worked it out and would be able to give the answer...

* * *

Meanwhile, Cream and Milla were still on the prowl for their friends in the Shuigang/Empire City fusion zone. The dog was down on all fours and sniffing, hoping to catch any familiar scents that would tell her her friends were nearby. Cream watched, fascinated by the hound's animalistic instincts. She had to admit that Milla did look awfully cute on all fours like that. While Milla sniffed around, Cream kept her beady eyes open for any signs of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Amy. Her eyesight was very good, a customary trait of a rabbit. With her eyesight and Milla's sensitive nose, they had a big chance of finding their friends. But so far, they had come up empty-handed. Even Cheese, who had been searching from high up, hadn't spotted anything. Milla got up onto her hind legs and sighed sadly.

"No good, I can't smell them anywhere." she said.

"I can't see them anywhere." Cream said glumly, "I don't think they're in this city at all."

"Chao, Chao..." Cheese mumbled, fluttering down to rejoin the two girls.

"I wonder where they are?" Milla fretted, "I hope Lilac, Carol and Torque aren't hurt! I hope they're alright..."

"I'm sure they are Milla." Cream said, gently embracing the hound to settle her jumpy nerves, "And I bet they're looking for you right now."

"They will be. Lilac's VERY protective of me." the dog said brightly, "Lilac will go to many lengths to ensure my safety."

"Just like my friend Amy. She's very protective of me too." the rabbit replied, "She'll be looking for me no doubt."

"I wonder if our friends will find us before we find them?"

"Maybe they will. We'll just have to keep looking."

Milla nodded. As nice as the thought of their friends looking for them was, they knew that they couldn't just stand around and wait for their friends to find them. That could take a very long time. They had to keep looking. Milla got down on all fours again and began to sniff the ground while Cream kept an eye out for her friends. Cheese flew up into the air and searched far and wide, hoping to catch a glimpse of their friends. But as they began searching, they were suddenly approached by a panda dressed in elegant green robes and with black hair styled into a bun.

"Hi there Milla." said the panda, "What's going on? You and your new friend lost or something?"

The dog got up onto her feet and smiled a big, cutesy smile of delight as she saw who it was.

"Dail!" she exclaimed, "It's so good to see you!"

Cream turned around to meet the stranger. She could tell that Milla knew him since she had just referred to him by name. If he was a friend of Milla's then he was safe and she didn't have to be cautious around him.

"Hey Milla." Dail said brightly, "I was wondering if I'd run into a familiar face. Have you seen what's happened to Avalice? It's all different, almost as if we're on another planet or something!"

"Oh we're not on another planet Mr. Dail." Cream said matter-of-factly, "It's more like our worlds have combined into one. My name's Cream and from Mobius, the world that's mixed up with yours."

"I see. Well it's nice to meet you Cream." Dail said kindly, "I'm Dail, King of Shuigang. I was a prince but thanks to the murder of my father, I had to take the role early."

"Oh that's terrible!" the rabbit exclaimed.

"I know..." the king said grimly, "But never mind. Are you and Milla looking for somebody?"

"We are." Milla announced, "I can't find Lilac, Carol or Torque anywhere! They got lost when our worlds combined!"

"My friends got lost too." Cream added, "Please could you help us your majesty?"

"Well Lilac and her friends have done much for me in the past so it'd be unkind of me to say no." Dail said happily, "I'll help find Lilac, Carol and Torque Milla. And as for you Cream, I'll help find your friends too. It's the least I could do."

"Thank you your majesty!"

"You can just call me Dail Cream, you don't have to call me that all the time."

"I'm sorry."

"It's OK."

Dail then turned to Milla and smiled at her.

"Come with me then you two. I'll take you to my palace and we'll take on of my airships." he said, "We'll search from the skies."

"That sounds great!" Milla exclaimed excitedly, "We're bound to find our friends now!"

"Indeed." Dail agreed, "Although Cream, I'm gonna need you to describe to me what your friends look like so I can find them."

Cream nodded and then quickly described Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy's appearances to the king, adding as much details as possible to make sure that Dail had a clear image in his head. After she'd finished, Dail nodded.

"Got it. Those four shouldn't be hard to spot." he said brightly, "Let's go then children. We'll get you reunited in no time at all."

The girls eagerly scampered off after the king as he turned and headed off to his palace. As they headed on through the city, Dail couldn't help but wonder how his world had combined with another. He hoped to find out who did it and most importantly, he hoped that once he'd found Lilac and the others, they and Cream's friends would be able to sort out what had been done to Avalice and Mobius. Little did he realize was that the man who murdered his father was responsible...and when he found out...he was not going to be merciful towards Brevon in the slightest...

* * *

 _ **Well, that's the end of Act 1. Looks like the gang's starting to get back together. But they've still got a while to go yet. Will they reunite? Join me next time as we begin Act 2 and get "The Gang Back Together"...**_


	6. Chapter 5: The Gang Back Together

**Act 2**

 _Chapter 5: The Gang Back Together_

"This is unacceptable, completely and utterly unacceptable! How could my nice, lovely city be mixed up with this hideous metropolis out there?! It's a disgrace I tell you! A complete and utter insult to my glorious kingdom!"

The President of Westopolis rolled his eyes for the millionth time as he sat at his desk, trying his hardest to put up with the never-ending complaining and moaning from his rather unwanted and very irritating roommate. He was sharing a room with Mayor Zao, the man in charge of Shang Mu. Zao was a red panda that dressed in wealthy red robes, wore a big red hat and little black shoes. He was somebody who was short in height but big in ego. He was also quite big in annoyance too. Ever since the worlds had combined and the mayor and president had found themselves suddenly sharing a place together for the White House and the Shang Mu Royal Palace had combined together, Zao had done nothing but complain about how much he hated the way everything looked and how hideous Westopolis looked compared to Shang Mu. The president had tried putting him at ease but the big-headed red panda had refused to listen and was still on a ranting marathon. The man had tried to get Zao removed from the facilities only to be stopped by the Shang Mu Royal Guards and firmly reminded that technically, this place was Zao's territory too so like it or not, he had to live with him until Mobius and Avalice were separated. Right now, he looked as if his arteries were about to explode. A throbbing vein even stood up on his temples. Zao didn't even seem to care about the fact he was annoying his new roommate.

"How could this have happened?!" he moaned, "How did Shang Mu end up getting mixed up with this ugly place?! How?!"

"I don't know Mr. Zao but you constantly complaining about it is NOT going to solve the damn problem!" the president snapped, "Now shut your mouth and give me a moment of peace already!"

"I'm insulted that you think you can talk to ME like that!" Zao growled, "Do you know who I am you stupid, weird looking creature?!"

"Yes, you made that very clear already." the president sighed, "You're Mayor Zao of Shang Mu from the planet Avalice."

"Precisely!" the red panda retorted, "Which is why you are in no position to talk to me that way you ingrate! You respect me or I'll get my guards on you!"

 **5+ RESPECT**

"I sure wish I knew how you did that…" the high-ranking politician murmured more to himself than Zao. Then addressing Zao himself, he said, "And you have to also treat me with respect too. I'm the President of Westopolis and you're in no position to pontificate to me and be a total nuisance to me!"

"If you don't like it Mr. President then get out!" Zao snapped, "Nobody's forcing you to listen to me you know!"

"I will not be ordered around by a big-headed sourpuss like you." the president said coldly, "This is my place as much as it's your place since our royal houses have mixed together. I will not leave under your orders. You can be quiet before I order my guards to kick you out!"

"Ah, ah, ah, you can't do that. I own this place too." the mayor retorted, "If your guards put your hands on me than my guards might get a little cross with you."

"If your guards hurt me, you'll answer to G.U.N." the president warned.

"You think I'm scared of a gun?" Zao sniffed, "Hardly. My guards also have guns. They'll take your puny defences down easily!"

"You really do have a big ego…"

"You're one to talk!"

The president slammed his hands down on his desk table, finally having enough of Zao's stubbornness and ego. If there was anybody in the world more annoying than Mayor Zao then the president hoped dearly that he would never meet him or her. He was just about to call his guards to seize the mayor and throw him out until suddenly, a G.U.N. soldier and one of Zao's guards burst into the room. They looked quite happy to be delivering the news to their respective leaders.

"Mr. President sir!" the soldier saluted, "I have good news! Sonic the Hedgehog is here and he wants to see you."

"Lilac the Dragon Girl is also here too Mayor Zao." the Shang Mu guard announced, "She requires a meeting with you."

"Send him in then." the president ordered.

"And send Lilac in!" Mayor Zao commanded.

The G.U.N. soldier and Shang Mu Guard both saluted and then left the room to bring in the guests. As soon as they left, the president relaxed and Zao softened up. It was as if the answer to their problems had literally come knocking on their door and now they didn't need to be at each other's throats anymore. The president looked over at Zao. His expression was more civil and relaxed as he spoke to the mayor.

"Do tell me Mr. Zao, who is Lilac the Dragon Girl? Is she the hero of your planet like Sonic's the hero of mine?"

"She is indeed president." Zao replied, his tone completely different towards the president as he spoke, "Lilac saved Avalice from an evil alien named Lord Brevon. He manipulated me and the other kingdoms into fighting over the Kingdom Stone so he could steal it and get away! But Lilac stopped him and our world has been at peace since then. She's quite a remarkable woman I must say. She can fight giant robots and aliens with just a few whips of her hair!"

"She sounds like your equivalent of Sonic…" the president mused, "He can take down giant robots and aliens too. And he's saved our world on many occasions. It looks as if the heroes of our worlds are here to fix the problem."

"Let us hope so. I so want Shang Mu back to normal again." the mayor said grimly.

"I'm sure with our heroes teaming up, that'll happen soon." the man of high authority said kindly.

Zao smiled back. It was amazing to think how hostile he and the president had been towards each other and now all of a sudden, it was as if a switch had been thrown and they were now good friends with each other. They both stood and waited for a moment as their guards let Sonic and Lilac into the White House/Shang Mu Palace hybrid building. A couple of minutes later, the door opened up and in walked Sonic the Hedgehog and Lilac the Dragon Girl themselves. Spade had not been invited in. The Shang Mu Royal Guard had requested that he stay outside for the meeting since he didn't trust Spade to not try and steal anything. The G.U.N. soldier had done the same, remembering what Spade had done earlier. Sonic and Lilac had come in without the panda and they approached the human and red panda leaders. They both bowed down respectfully to them.

"Good morning president." said Sonic.

"Many greetings Mayor Zao." said Lilac.

"Greetings Sonic." the president said with a warm smile.

"Pleased to see you Lilac." Zao said graciously.

Sonic and Lilac then straightened up.

"So I suppose you two are trying to find a way to fix what's been done to our worlds?" asked the president.

"You betcha!" Sonic said with a thumbs up, "Me and Lilac may even have worked out what caused all of this in the first place."

"Do tell then, I'm dying to know what happened!" Zao ordered, hopping up and down like a dervish.

"Before this thing happened, Dr. Eggman from Mobius stole my world's Kingdom Energy." Lilac explained, addressing both political leaders at once, "And Sonic says that Lord Brevon from my universe stole his world's Master Emerald. And then as we chased after our enemies, a big white light shone from nowhere and engulfed us all. And then we ended up here, worlds combined and heroes united as you can see."

The president and Zao both nodded, their faces utterly blank as if they didn't know how to react to the news. They soon found their tongues again.

"I know what you're thinking now…" the president said slowly, "You must think that Eggman and this Lord Brevon character might've fused our worlds together with the energies they stole from them."

"Bingo!" Sonic confirmed.

"Should've suspected that scoundrel was behind all this…" muttered Zao, "Only he would do something this barbaric to us!"

 **5+ BARBARIC**

"Um…how did you do that?" Sonic asked curiously.

"It's better that you don't ask Sonic my boy." Zao dismissed, "Anyway, Lilac. Have you and your new friend found a way to undo the damages Brevon and…heh, Dr. Eggman have caused?"

"Not yet I'm afraid." Lilac admitted, "You see, we've been looking for our friends. We got separated from them when the light hit us. We came to you two because we want to ask for your help in finding them."

"I told Shadow about this and he's gone to ask G.U.N. to mount a search party for my friends." explained Sonic, "We just need somebody to look for Lilac's friends now. And since you know them Mayor Zao, Lilac suggested we ask you for help."

"Well you certainly came to the right place!" the short-heighted mayor said gleefully, "I'll have my guards search the entire world for Lilac's friends! Have I remembered correctly Lilac, they're Carol the Wildcat and Milla the Hound right?"

"Yes mayor. There's also Torque too." the dragon added, "He was here when the light hit as well."

"Then we'll track him down too." Zao offered eagerly, "My men won't rest until they're found Lilac!"

"Thank you very much mayor." Lilac said with a gracious bow.

"As for you Sonic, I have the utmost faith in Shadow in G.U.N." the president said, "They'll have your friends found in no time at all."

"I know they will." Sonic said optimistically, "And I promise you president, we will fix what Eggman and Brevon have done to our worlds!"

"Given the good that you have done for Mobius before Sonic, I have every faith in you." the president said kindly, "And as for you Miss Lilac, I trust you'll do the same thing. Zao talks highly of you and tells me that you are quite remarkable in a battle."

"Well I'm flattered he thinks that..." the dragon said, blushing, "Heh, heh, I assure you that Zao isn't exaggerating in the slightest. The one thing you must learn about Avalice is that when a dragon gets involved, it never rests until the job is done."

"Kinda like me when there's evil butts to kick and people to save." Sonic snickered.

"That's quite admirable to hear Lilac." the president said approvingly, "I look forward to hearing from you and Sonic again at some point."

"We'll be sure to let you know how things are going president." Sonic said reassuringly, "We'll see you later. And we hope that our friends will be found soon."

"With our armies on the lookout for them my friends, they'll be found in no time at all!" Zao declared, "Good luck Lilac and Sonic! Hope you'll succeeded in restoring everything to normal!"

"We won't fail you mayor." Lilac promised, "Goodbye mayor, goodbye president."

"See you around." Sonic said, waving.

The two heroes then turned around and walked out of the room to await any news from G.U.N. and Zao's guards. As they left, Zao turned to the guard that had let them in and he pointed at him.

"Take all of my guards and begin a search party for Carol, Milla and Torque." the mayor ordered, "Do NOT rest until you find them and bring them here. Comprehended?"

The guard nodded and left to carry out his task. The president turned to the G.U.N. soldier that had brought Sonic and Lilac inside and spoke to him.

"You may join the platoon on the lookout for Sonic's friends." he said, "Use every resource at our disposal to track them down and guide them to us."

"Yes sir!" the soldier saluted.

He then left the room to join the G.U.N forces that would be searching for Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream. Now the president and Mayor Zao were alone again in the combined room. Being as they had nothing to worry about anymore, Zao didn't start another ranting marathon. He instead just toddled over to his throne, which was on the left side of the room and still intact luckily, and the president sat down at his desk. All they could do know was sit and wait for the heroes to get back together so they could put an end to this madness at last. The president was already planning on preparing a cell for Eggman to occupy for doing this to Mobius and Zao was hoping that Brevon would be captured so he could be thrown into a cell too. It was the most the two villains deserved for causing all of this...

* * *

The next few minutes had been nothing short of "All hands on deck" for G.U.N. and Shang Mu's Royal Guards. Both sides had been frantically working against the clock in order to get everything ready for the big search party that would see the lost Mobians and lost Avalicians reunited with Sonic and Lilac at last. Shadow and Rouge had informed G.U.N. about Sonic's predicament as promised and G.U.N. had been quick to respond. Mayor Zao's guard had told the rest of his army what was happening and that they had to get searching for Lilac's friends, an order that the guards were very quick to act upon.

In the time that had been spent getting ready, G.U.N. had produced a huge convoy of jeeps, jets and robot drones to carry out the search. The jeeps were for ground searching and the jets were the eyes in the sky. The robots that were part of the convoy were a mixture of robot mechs that were used in military battles and flying drones that were used for espionage. The mechs joined the jeeps and the drones joined the jets. Shadow and Rouge were part of the convoy too, something that Shadow himself had suggested. The convoy was fully armed with all kinds of weapons for in case anything dangerous happened to it while they were out on the search. It was likely that Dr. Eggman would try and stop Sonic's friends from getting back with Sonic so the armory was necessary. Shadow and Rouge were also there for back-up purposes as well as to aid in the search. And for extra armory purposes, they had decided to bring their equivalent of a walking arsenal, E-123 Omega. He was a former Eggman robot but had turned against his master after being sealed in a room. He wanted nothing more than to see Eggman dead and had joined Shadow and Rouge to form Team Dark, a team that G.U.N was all too happy to have on their side. Omega was armed to the teeth with weapons of many kinds, making him effective on the battlefield. He was easily G.U.N.'s best offence in a fight. The convoy was lead by G.U.N.'s leader, Commander Abraham Tower. He was a middle-aged man with greying hair and a rare condition that gave him two eye colours. His left eye was blue and his right eye was brown. He used to despise Shadow but after the events of the Black Arms invasion, he had grown to respect him greatly. He was pleased to be in charge on the convoy and swore that G.U.N. would not let the president down.

Shang Mu's Royal Guards had gathered together a convoy of jeeps and airships to search for Lilac's friends. The airships were quite literally named in the sense that on Avalice, airships looked like galleons with the ability to fly, something that had amused Sonic greatly. They could fly in the sky or float on the oceans. Some of the airships would fly and search for the Avalicians while the others would go to the waters and search. The convoy was also aided by some robots that Shang Mu had. They looked like flying samurai heads with helmets, one eye, huge fists and propellers on their backs for flight. They were used for security personnel in the city and were very efficient in a fight. Their fists could smash walls with ease, making them the perfect defence for the convoy. The jeeps and ships themselves were also heavily armed just in case they encountered any unfriendly people on the way. The convoy was led by Shang Mu's highest ranking guard, an Avalician who wore thicker armour than his colleagues and carried his position with dignity and pride. He vowed that he wouldn't fail Mayor Zao and that the convoy would find Lilac's friends, even if it took them forever to do so.

The two convoys deployed and began to spread out into the world to begin the big search for the missing Mobians and Avalicians. Jeeps speed through the streets, their powerful engines revving loudly as they did so. The jets took flight, speeding down the runway and climbing up into the sky. The Shang Mu airships took flight, following the G.U.N. jets as they soared off into the sky to begin the search. Robots from both sides followed their assigned convoys, staying very close to the jeeps and flying machines like moths attracted to a light. People on the streets stayed well clear of the convoys, watching in amazement as they sped off. They had no idea what was going on but they didn't dare try to ask. In a matter of minutes, the convoys had left the city of Shangopolis behind and they all spread out in all four directions, heading off into the fusion world around them to find what they were looking for. Sonic, Lilac and Spade had watched all of this from atop a skyscraper. They had chosen to go up there so as to stay out of the way as the convoys deployed. With a search party as big as this, their friends were as good as found. They watched until the last jeep disappeared into the distance before Lilac turned and spoke to Sonic.

"And now we wait." she sighed, "I've gotta say Sonic, this "gun" thing sure has a lot of resources. And so advanced too! They make my world's resources look primitive!"

"Well that's G.U.N. for ya, they have some amazing tech." Sonic said with a wink, "And unlike Eggman, they put it to good use, like keeping citizens safe and preventing disasters. Makes me wish that all people could put technology to good use."

"I'll say." Lilac murmured, "Lord Brevon's exactly the same, abusing the miracles of science and technology for terrible, terrible things. We don't have as much tech as Mobius does but what we do have, we put to good use. Zao's security bots in particular are an example of that. If only Brevon and Eggman were more like us in how they use technology."

"You and me both sister." Sonic agreed, "Although I do kinda enjoy smashing Eggman's toys when he throws them at us."

"Then let's hope he's got a very big toy for you to smash Sonic." Spade said, smirking, "Wouldn't want you to get bored now would we?"

"Watch it Spade..." the hedgehog muttered, "By the way Spade, Lilac said something about Brevon killing your dad. Is that right?"

"It is." the panda replied, "He murdered my father and brainwashed my brother, Prince Dail, into working for him. Thankfully I managed to snap Dail out of it and he realized what had happened. I never got a shot at Brevon though so hopefully I'll get my chance this time."

"We'll make sure we save some of him for you then Spade." Lilac said, "You deserve that much for helping us out last month."

"You're too kind..." Spade said casually.

He turned away and stared out at the horizon, folding his arms and glaring at the distance as if waiting for Brevon to show up so he could beat him to a pulp. Sonic and Lilac accepted Spade's cold shoulder and turned away from him, leaving him to himself. Sonic then moved closer to Lilac and quietly spoke to her.

"So Spade's bro is a prince? Is Spade a prince too?" he asked.

"Sorta. But he prefers the criminal life for some reason." Lilac sighed, "I wish I knew why..."

"Sounds like a waste of a good thing if you ask me." Sonic muttered, "Oh well, at least Spade isn't ALL bad. Dude looked out for his brother after all."

"Yeah. At least Spade has some decency." Lilac agreed, "And speaking of his brother...I wonder if he's doing anything at all?"

"He could be." Sonic suggested, "Maybe one of your buddies might have run into him or something."

"That would be fortunate." the dragon nodded, "And if any of your friends have met him, he met help them out too."

"That would be fortunate for me too." the hedgehog agreed, "Well, there's nothing left to do accept wait for our friends to be found."

Lilac nodded. She and Sonic stood together on the skyscraper, waiting for the good news to come to them. But one thought entered their minds and made them think for a minute. What were Eggman and Brevon doing now? And would they be trying to prevent their friends from reaching them...?

* * *

All over Mobius/Avalice, jeeps, robots, jets and airships traversed the land and skies and began searching far and wide for any signs of the people they were looking for. The jeeps sped across the terrain, kicking up dust, gravel and stones as they thick wheels carried them over the land. The jets and airships filled the skies, looking down below or up ahead. The G.U.N. soldiers and Shang Mu Royal Guards now got a good idea on what had been done to their worlds. They saw mixed up zones from either side stretching far and wide, showing bizarre architecture, weird proportions and strange appearances. Never before had either groups seen anything so perplexing in their lives. This was beyond what any of them had experienced. And the sight of their worlds fighting for space all around just made them more determined than ever to see their worlds restored to normal. But as the search party began, the ground began to shake again and a loud rumbling noise echoed through the skies. The jeeps all had to skid to a halt and the robots poised themselves, ready to attack. Shadow, Rouge and Omega readied themselves, expecting something to happen. Another earthquake was happening and this one lasted longer than the one in Shangopolis. Everybody braced themselves for something terrible to happen. But then the earthquake silenced and everything became still again. Shadow narrowed his eyes.

"This can't be a coincidence...that earthquake came much too soon after the first one." he muttered.

"Maybe the worlds are still settling in with each other after the combination?" Rouge suggested.

"Maybe...but it could be something even worse..." Shadow theorized.

"I will destroy Eggman for causing this to happen!" Omega droned.

"Of course you will big boy." Rouge snickered, "Well, let's continue. Sonic's friends aren't gonna be found any quicker if we dilly-dally."

"G.U.N., let's continue." Shadow ordered, "We'll worry about the earthquakes later. We have a job to do."

"Indeed we do Shadow." Commander Tower agreed, "G.U.N., mobolize!"

The convoy responded immediately and the jeeps all began to drive off again. The Shang Mu jeeps did the same, quickly kicking into gear and driving off to continue the search. As the convoys continued though, everybody began to feel a little nervous. Would another earthquake happen? And if so...what did it mean...?

* * *

Up in the skies above the fusion world, the Blue Typhoon was cruising slowly through the clouds in search of the rest of the Mobians and Avalicians that needed finding. Tails was still at the controls, keeping an eye out for any signs of his friends while Amy, Torque, Gong and Neera were gathered together and talking to one another. Torque had decided to just leave the flying to Tails now, parking his rocket inside the ship's hangar bay and making himself a passenger on the vessel. Gong and Neera had been amazed at what they had seen as they were welcomed aboard the Blue Typhoon and taken to the bridge. They had never seen such advanced technology before and they were finding it hard to believe that Tails had built it all himself. It was quite clear that their world wasn't the only world that had remarkable young people populating it.

"This ship is quite magnanimous." Neera said, admiring the view from outside the window, "It must have taken a long time to build Tails."

"It sure did Miss Li." Tails replied, "But so far, it's been totally worth it. It preforms admirably and is making my search for my friends so much easier."

"I'll say I mean you found me straight away!" Amy exclaimed, "I wonder who we'll find next?"

"Given our friends could be anywhere, it could be anybody Amy." Torque answered, "I hope we find Lilac soon. I'm getting quite worried about her..."

"I'm worried about my friends too, especially Sonic and Cream." the she-hog said softly, "They're very precious to me and I want nothing more than their safety."

"Sounds like you really care for them." Gong said approvingly.

"I do. Cream's like a sister to me and Sonic is my love interest." Amy explained, "I do very much love my handsome hero. So much that I would save the planet for him."

"That's quite sweet." Torque said, "You know...I kinda feel that I have feelings for Lilac. I'm not sure why but something about her just seems to make me feel quite happy whenever I see her."

"I bet Lilac thinks the same about you." Tails said with a smile.

"She did seem awfully happy to see me when I visited Avalice before our worlds combined." the Chaser said, nodding in agreement.

"Well it sounds like you and Lilac really care for each other." Amy said brightly, "I say you build up a steady relationship and let romance blossom between you. I'm sure you'll work it out."

The Chaser took in what Amy had said and he nodded slowly. He wasn't sure if he and Lilac could ever be in a relationship given his status but he would try and work something out in the end.

"I'll keep that in mind Amy..." he said uneasily, "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime!" Amy said sweetly, "I'm always happy to help a friend."

"That's why Amy's such a good friend for me and the others." Tails put in, "Caring and sweet, she's always good to be around."

"I can definitely see why little guy." Gong agreed.

"So General Gong, what do you and Neera Li do then?" the fox asked curiously.

"We're the Royal Magister of Shang Tu's right hand men and we do what we can to keep our kingdom safe." Neera replied, "Gong's in charge of the army and I'm often the woman to ask when you want a criminal catching. I chase them down and freeze them with my ice sceptre to catch them."

"That'll be useful for when we inevitably have to fight Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon..." Tails murmured.

"I can't say I'm too surprised that Brevon's responsible for this!" Gong grumbled, "But I've never heard of Dr. Eggman. Who is he?"

"Our worst enemy and a nutcase who loves robots. Nuff said." Amy replied simply.

"I sure hope we see him again so that me and the others can make him pay for taking the Kingdom Stone's energy." Torque said grimly, "And Brevon can share the punishment for stealing your world's Master Emerald Tails and Amy."

"Oh believe me, I'm itching to give that freak a migraine!" the hedgehog growled, clenching her fists, "Nobody steals the Master Emerald, teams up with Eggman and stitches our worlds together and gets away with it! When I catch Eggman and Brevon, they are going down and going down HARD!"

"Hey guys, hold on a minute! I think there's something coming towards us!" Tails suddenly cried, sitting straight up and staring ahead.

Everybody stopped and looked out of the window to see what Tails had spotted. In the distance, they could see some small dots coming towards them. They appeared to be coming from the skies and down below. There were a large number of whatever was coming towards them. What were they? Torque thought for one horrid skin crawling moment that they were Brevon's minions coming to shoot them down. Tails and Amy thought that it might be Eggman's minions coming to tear the ship apart. The fox prepared himself to deploy the Blue Typhoon's weapons systems in case the oncoming dots were enemies. He waited until he could get a better view of what was coming. But then suddenly, Tails got a call on his communications systems.

"Hello? Hello? This is G.U.N. speaking, who is onboard this ship?" came the voice.

Tails's heart leapt excitedly. G.U.N. was here and contacting him! They could help him with his search for his friends! Eagerly, the fox responded.

"G.U.N., this is Tails. I'm onboard this ship." he answered, "You're looking at the Blue Typhoon, my own personal ship."

"Thank goodness we've found you Tails." the voice replied, "Shadow told us that Sonic told him he was looking for you and we've been sent to guide you back to Sonic."

"Thanks sir, lead the way to him if you please." the fox responded, "Oh and I have some people from another world onboard. They're looking for some lost friends of theirs too."

"We know. A guy named Mayor Zao sent a convoy to find them for a girl named Lilac." said the voice, "She's with Sonic right now so you can take them to him as well."

"That's good sir." Tails said brightly, "I'll follow you back to where Sonic and Lilac are. Tails out."

The communication system switched off and Tails turned to look at Torque, Gong and Neera.

"Well, how lucky is that?" he asked, "Sonic and Lilac have got forces from either planet to guide us to them!"

"I'll say that's lucky." Torque said agreeably, "Funny how the hero of Mobius and the hero of Avalice have met each other."

"I bet they're getting along well." Amy said, "Though Lilac better not be eyeing up Sonic if she knows what's good for her..."

"Now, now Amy, let's not jump to conclusions." Tails said firmly, "Not every girl fancies Sonic like you do. I myself am looking forward to meeting Lilac."

"I'm quite interested in meeting Sonic." Neera said, "If he's your world's hero then he'll be a very honourable person to meet."

"You got that right Neera." Amy said, "You'll like him, believe me on that."

Neera smiled a small smile as if she was sure that Amy was right. The Mobians and Avalicians looked on ahead as the G.U.N. jets came in closer to the Blue Typhoon and then circled around. The Shang Mu airships turned around and headed off back the way they had come with the G.U.N. jets beside the Blue Typhoon. Tails allowed his ship to be guided to where Sonic and Lilac were, excited to think that finally he was going to be reunited with his best friend. He wondered if the convoy that had found him was also searching for Knuckles and Cream and the rest of Lilac's friends. If so then they would be all reunited in no time at all...and then they could put an end to Brevon and Eggman's plans once and for all...

* * *

Meanwhile, Cream and Milla were now up in the sky and flying in style. They had been taken aboard King Dail's own personal luxury airship and were now in flight in search of Sonic, Lilac and their respective gangs. The airship was a huge green boat-shaped vessel with big sails and powerful engines. It had an opulent interior which showed just what kind of man King Dail was. It was beautiful, luxurious and very cosy and comfortable. Cream and Milla felt as if they were Dail's royal guests as they flew aboard the ship. The two girls were sitting in soft, luxury chairs that radiated comfort. Cheese sat on a cushion next to Cream. They were enjoying the flight very much. The airship cruised softly and steadily. So much so that Cream and Milla almost felt as if they weren't even flying at all. The king was sitting in a chair too, pleased to see his guests were enjoying themselves.

"This ship is wonderful Dail!" Cream squealed happily.

"It's so comfortable too!" Milla piped, "You must feel very lucky to own this ship your highness!"

"Chao, Chao!" Cheese agreed.

"That's the benefits of being rich I suppose, you get luxury like this." Dail said casually, "It's just a pity my father isn't still here to enjoy this...and that my brother still embraces the criminal life and thus, is missing out on these wonderful luxuries I have."

"You have a brother?" Cream asked.

"I do. He's a criminal assassin named Spade and he seems to enjoy that more than the royal life." the king said grimly, "He still seems to care about me though. He was after the man who murdered my father and he helped snap me out of his brainwashing last month. At least Spade still has a conscience..."

"That's good." the rabbit said, "As for the man who killed your dad, who was it?"

"Lord Brevon." Milla explained, "He's a big bad evil alien with a cape, red eyes and a scary voice. He tried to steal the Kingdom Stone last month on my world but Lilac stopped him. He even...he even..."

The dog began to tremble as horrible memories came back to her from the battle with Brevon last month.

"He turned me into a hideous monster!" she howled, bursting into tears.

She held her head in her hands as she wailed into them. Pitying the poor dog, Cream reached over and patted her back softly as she wept. Milla sounded as if she'd been through quite a lot and this Lord Brevon person sounded like a terrible monster indeed.

"Oh please don't cry Milla, It's OK. You're safe with us, you won't be hurt." she said softly.

"Th-thank you..." Milla sniveled, wiping her eyes dry.

"You're welcome." Cream said happily, "Although...your description of Brevon rings a bell..." the rabbit mused, "Doesn't he have a big unibrow as well?"

"He-he does." the dog replied, still trying to contain herself.

The rabbit's eyes widened in total shock for she suddenly realized that she actually knew who Milla was talking about. It was as if an icy hand had gripped her by the throat.

"I met him!" the rabbit squealed, "He invaded Mobius and stole the Master Emerald before our worlds combined!"

"He did what?!" Dail exclaimed, leaping out of his chair in horror.

"He stole the Master Emerald from my world!" Cream repeated, "It's a powerful gem that can turn people super and keep Angel Island afloat! He stole it before our worlds combined!"

"So that monster is responsible for this!" the king snarled, "There's no other reason for this happening! It has to be because of him! Just wait till I get my hands on that murderer! I'm gonna make him regret ever showing his hideous face again!"

"I've just thought of something else." Milla suddenly added, "Before our worlds combined, some weird guy shaped like an egg with a moustache invaded Avalice and stole the Kingdom Energy thingy that appears in the sky. I think he might be responsible too."

"You're talking about Dr. Eggman Milla." Cream said, shaking her head, "He's Mobius's biggest enemy and he's always trying to turn us into robots."

"And according to Milla, he's stolen the Kingdom Energy..." Dail said grimly, "Avalice is in danger now. Without that energy, we can't survive. I wonder if he and Brevon have teamed up and used our world's energies to do this? If so then...why?" he wondered.

"Maybe they wanna take over our worlds?" Milla suggested.

"Whatever their reason, they're gonna be sorry they've done this." the panda growled, "Mark my words children, they are going to pay..."

"I bet Mr. Sonic will kick their butts when he finds out what they've done!" Cream declared.

"And Lilac will do the same!" Milla added.

Then suddenly, Cheese fluttered over to the window and started staring out at it. Then he started squeaking in alarm and waving his arms.

"What is it Cheese?" asked Cream, getting up and running over to her distressed pet.

"I think he's spotted something." Milla said hopefully, "Maybe he's seen our friends."

She and Dail ran over to Cream and Cheese and they looked out of the window to see what Cheese was so worked up about. The Chao had seen what looked like a flying galleon coming towards them but it wasn't alone. There were more of those ships and there were some jet planes following them. They weren't from the same world as the airship clearly but Cream knew what they were.

"Hey, those are G.U.N. planes!" she hollered.

"And those airships look like Mayor Zao's!" Milla piped.

"I guess the mayor and this "gun" thing are looking for us." Dail deduced, "Well, they've found us. I wonder if they could help us find your friends?"

Cream and Milla both smiled at such a thought. G.U.N. and Zao's forces would be very helpful in helping them find their friends. The Shang Mu airships flew closer to Dail's ship and one of the guards leaned out of the window with a megaphone in his hand. He put it to his lips and spoke into it once his ship was directly beside Dail's.

"Kind Dail!" the guard called, his voice amplified by the megaphone, "We've been sent by the Mayor to find Lilac's friends! Have you seen them?"

"I have one of them with me!" Dail called back, speaking through a megaphone that he had on him, "I have Milla! I'm looking for Lilac, Carol and Torque right now!"

"We've been sent to find them too!" the guard called back, "Lilac has already been found though! She's in a city that's a mix of Shang Mu and another city! The mayor sending us to find her friends was her idea! We'll take you to her!"

"Yay! I'm gonna be back with Lilac!" Milla squealed.

"That's wonderful!" Cream cried, "But we've still got Sonic and the others to find for me..."

Dail nodded and he then spoke into his megaphone again.

"I also have somebody from the other world we've combined with!" he announced, "She's looking for her friends too, names are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy!"

"Sonic's with Lilac!" the Shang Mu guard reported, "We'll take you to him as well! The rest of our platoon's with the people of the other world looking for the rest of his friends too!"

"Thank you! We'll follow you back to where Sonic and Lilac are!" the king answered.

He switched off his megaphone and hung it up beside the window. He then turned to face Cream and Milla.

"Looks like Sonic and Lilac found each other and they've got armies from our worlds searching for you." he said brightly, "And now they're taking us to them. This is very fortunate indeed."

"Indeed it is!" Cream squealed, "I'm glad Mr. Sonic's OK and I'm gonna be back with him!"

"And I'm gonna be back with Lilac!" Milla squealed, "I sure hope G.U.N. and Zao's men find the others and bring us to Lilac and Sonic."

"I'm sure they will do dears." Dail said optimistically.

With nothing left to say, the three took their seats as the pilot turned the ship around and followed the G.U.N. jets and Shang Mu airships as they turned and headed back to Shangopolis. The search party was going well so far. It was only a matter of time before everybody was found...and the reunited heroes could take care of Eggman and Brevon...

* * *

Meanwhile, Carol and Knuckles were still chasing after the Egg Dreadnought. They'd followed it all the way through the Dragon Valley, Chemical Plant Zone and Ocean Palace hybrid habitat and now they were still chasing after it. The ship was still flying up in the sky, clearly not noticing that it was being followed. That was good. If it didn't know it was being followed then Knuckles and Carol wouldn't have to worry about it shooting at them. However, the wildcat and echidna were beginning to get tired. They'd been chasing the Egg Dreadnought for a while now and their energy was beginning to run out. They both stopped and panted heavily, wishing they could go on further but not feeling the strength necessary to keep going. Like it or not, they had to rest. They both slumped on the grass to catch their breath and they watched as the Egg Dreadnought continued its unknown journey ahead. Carol wiped sweat off of her forehead.

"Whew, didn't think that it'd be this tiring just following that thing!" she gasped.

"I didn't think it was still gonna be going on for so long." Knuckles puffed, "I thought it'd have landed by now."

"I'm still wondering where its heading." Carol murmured, "Somewhere densely populated I'm guessing."

"Likely..." Knuckles agreed, "Hang on, I'll see if I can recognize anything and guess where it's going."

He stood up and peered in to the distance, ignoring the Egg Dreadnought for a minute as he scanned the horizon. He could faintly see a city in the distance. He couldn't tell what kind of city it was for he was too far away but he was sure that it was indeed a city. He could make out tall buildings that managed to somehow be seen above the horizon.

"Looks like there's a metropolis ahead." the echidna mused.

"You think that ship's gonna destroy it?" Carol asked.

"Eggman is always fond of that stuff since he wants to scare people into surrendering to him." Knuckles sighed, "How about Brevon? What's he like?"

"My alien friend Torque tells me he's a world conqueror so he'd probably destroy the city to make people surrender to him too." the wildcat said, "But how will we stop that thing?! We can barely keep up with it!"

"We'll get after it again once we're rested." Knuckles declared, "That thing is NOT destroying any cities before our worlds can be restored!"

"You and me both Spiky!" Carol yelled hotly, "In fact, I think I feel rested up enough to chase after it some more! Let's catch it!"

Knuckles seemed all too happy to oblige. He and Carol were just about to run off after the Egg Dreadnought again until suddenly, a fleet of jeeps came rushing towards them from the right hand side. The jeeps varied from grey to red in colour and looked as if they belonged to two different groups. Carol and Knuckles stopped dead in their tracks and turned to see the oncoming jeeps. They hadn't expected anybody and yet right now, a fleet of jeeps was coming towards them, dust flying up behind them as they drove over the grasslands. Knuckles recognized the grey ones and Carol recognized the red ones. Both of them knew instantly that the jeeps were friendly company.

"Hey, those look like G.U.N. jeeps!" Knuckles cried.

"And those look like Mayor Zao's jeeps!" Carol yelled.

"So it looks like there's jeeps from both worlds coming to us." the echidna noted.

"Wonder why they're here." the wildcat murmured, "They seem to be coming towards us."

"Could be looking for us perhaps..."

"Then let's see what these guys want."

The two heavy hitters stood still and waited as the jeeps all pulled to a stop just in front of them. In a matter of minutes, they had all halted and a G.U.N. soldier and a Shang Mu Royal Guard got out of their jeeps and ran over to Knuckles and Carol. They seemed awfully pleased to see them. The soldier stood before Knuckles and the guard stood before Carol.

"Knuckles! We've found you!" the soldier cried.

"Thank the dragons we've located you Carol!" the guard exclaimed.

"Well Spiky, we were right. They WERE looking for us!" Carol laughed.

"How lucky for us." Knuckles said with a smile, "Say G.U.N., who sent you to find us?"

"We were told by Shadow, who was informed of you and the others going missing after our worlds combined by Sonic and we decided to get looking for you." the soldier explained.

"Mayor Zao ordered me and my troops to look for you and Lilac's other friends Carol." the guard told the wildcat.

"Well now you've found me." Carol said, "Have you found anybody else yet?"

"Lilac was already found since she and some fellow named Sonic came to Zao to tell him and the human leader known as "The President" about all of this." replied the guard.

"She and Sonic are waiting for you." the soldier added.

"Where are they?" asked Knuckles.

"In that city over there." the soldier answered, pointing in the distance to where the Egg Dreadnought was heading.

He then suddenly paused and realized that he was looking at something that hadn't been there when he had left earlier. Half an hour ago, that ship had not been there and yet here it was. He stood with his mouth gaping open in disbelief. The Shang Mu Royal Guard saw what the G.U.N. soldier had spotted and he stared at it, wondering what it was.

"What the heck is that?!" the guard yelled.

"That, we believe, is a ship that is being piloted by Dr. Eggman and the villain of Carol's home planet Avalice, an alien named Lord Brevon." Knuckles answered, "We also believe that they're the ones who fused our worlds together."

"And it's heading to that city!" Carol cried frantically, "We have to get there first so we can stop it!"

"We'll do just that!" the soldier cried, "That city is Westopolis mixed up with a city from the world these guards come from!"

"If that ship gets there, Shang Mu will be wiped out along with the city these humans live in!" the guard fretted, "Hop in you two, we'll get you back as quick as possible!"

Knuckles and Carol didn't wait to be asked twice. The jeeps would get them there a lot quicker than chasing the ship on foot. They would get home before the Egg Dreadnought reached the city and be ready to bring it down. Knuckles hopped into a G.U.N. jeep and Carol hoped into a Shang Mu jeep. Now they were seated, the jeeps quickly accelerated and rushed off back towards Shangopolis. As they headed on back, the G.U.N. soldier quickly contacted the rest of his troops and told them that they had to come home immediately. He received a thanks for the emergency warning and that everybody else would be coming back to Shangopolis immediately. They had to get there in time to defend the city...otherwise Mobius and Avalice would be restored to normal minus a city each...

* * *

A long time had passed since the convoys had left to locate the lost Mobians and Avalicians. To Sonic and Lilac, it felt as if it had been forever since they'd told everybody that their friends were lost. They had decided to wait outside of Shangopolis to receive their friends. They stood in the grasslands just outside the city borders and had stood waiting for a while. Spade had stood and waited with them, looking surprisingly relaxed as he was doing so. Sonic however was getting impatient. He was pacing back and forth as if his feet were refusing to let him stand still and he looked as if he was about ready to lose his patience completely. Lilac was nervously waiting for any news but she had somehow managed to keep her patience and was getting rather annoyed at watching Sonic pace back and forth over and over. Spade seemed more amused by it than anything. Sonic then stopped pacing and threw up his arms.

"Gah, the waiting is torture!" he moaned, "It's bad enough that I have to stand here and do nothing but these guys are taking forever!"

"Sonic, it's not been that long since they left. Calm down." Lilac said gently.

"Don't tell me to be calm Lilac!" Sonic ranted, "I'm worried about my friends OK?! I just want them found already!"

"And they will be Sonic!" the dragon insisted, "Just be patient! They'll find them eventually! It's a big planet after all and given it's two planets mixed together, it'll be an even bigger planet so we can't just expect our friends to be found like that!" she snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.

"Maybe so but I'm still getting restless..." the hedgehog grumbled, "I should've stuck to the original plan, find them all myself..."

"And then what, you'll be running around like a headless chicken because you have no idea where to start!" Lilac retorted, "The two armies have a better chance than we do because their numbers are bigger and they can look in four places at once because of it! So please, be patient Sonic. They will be found. We just have to wait." the dragon finished, her voice softer as if trying to clam Sonic down.

"It's easy for you to say..." Sonic said grimly, "I'm not that good at the whole "patience" thing Lilac. You'll just have to put up with it."

"I wouldn't annoy her too much Sonic." Spade snickered, "Lilac might be tempted to whip you with her hair if you get her mad."

"You shut up!" the hedgehog snapped, "Either say something helpful or don't say anything at all!"

"OK then, how does "It looks like your forces are coming back" sound? Is that helpful enough?" the panda snorted, glancing up ahead for seemingly no reason.

Sonic and Lilac were about to argue some more before they suddenly realized that Spade had just hinted at something while also being snarky with them. They stopped and turned around to see that the panda wasn't joking. There were jeeps rolling along the grass, rushing back towards the city and a fleet of airships and jets were also returning to the city. And to Sonic's utter delight, he saw a familiar sight among them. The Blue Typhoon was with the ships. That had to mean that his friends had been found! Lilac saw Dail's ship among the fleet too. That had to mean King Dail was probably in on the search and was coming back to give the good news. Spade looked a little disapproving of the fact his brother was coming. He was already expecting a big lecture from the king the moment he saw him. The jeeps all came to a stop just in front of the trio and the airships and jets flew over, remaining airborne for some reason. Dail's ship and the Blue Typhoon however landed down on the ground and the people onboard disembarked from the ships. Tails and Amy ran from the Blue Typhoon and scampered over to Sonic while Torque, Gong and Neera ran over to Lilac. Cream and Milla ran over to Sonic and Lilac respectively while Dail remained with the ship. Sonic was quickly embraced by an ecstatic Amy while Tails and Cream waited for their turn. Milla and Torque embraced Lilac, the dragon hugging them back gleefully.

"Oh Sonic! We're reunited at last!" Amy cried, "I was so worried about you! Thank goodness you're OK!"

"I could say the same Amy!" Sonic laughed, gently pushing her away, "I'm glad you're all OK too!" he cried, hugging Tails and then hugging Cream.

"Thank you Mr. Sonic!" Cream piped.

"We're so glad to be together again!" Tails cried.

"I am too!" Sonic said brightly.

"Oh Lilac, I was worried I wouldn't see you again!" Milla shrieked, "I'm so happy to be back with you!"

"I was worried about you too Milla!" Lilac replied, stroking the dog's hair, "Thank the ancestors you're alright! And it's good to see you too Torque!" she added, hugging him delightedly.

"Thanks. I was really concerned for you and the others." Torque said, shyly hugging Lilac back.

"But we're all back together again, that's all that matters." the dragon said, "And it's nice to see you here too Gong and Neera." she added, glancing over at the pandas.

"Pleasure's all ours dragon girl." Gong said happily.

"We came across Amy over there." Neera explained, "And then her friend Tails," she pointed to Tails, "Found us and brought us here to you."

"And then G.U.N. and Shang Mu's forces found us and led us all the way here!" Amy added breathlessly, "They said that you were to thank for all of this Sonic!"

"I sure am, and so is Lilac." Sonic said, pointing over to the dragon, "Speaking of which, Lilac, these are my friends Tails, Amy and Cream. Wanna say hi?" he asked.

Lilac nodded and walked over to the Mobians.

"Hello, my name is Lilac the Dragon Girl." she said politely, "It's an honour to meet the friends of Sonic the Hedgehog."

"It's nice to meet you Lilac." Tails said, shaking her hand, "And it's a pleasure to meet you too."

"Any friend of Sonic's is a friend of ours Lilac!" Amy piped, "I gotta say, you look pretty cool." she complimented.

"And very pretty!" Cream added, "So Miss Lilac, what do you do and can you breathe fire? What kind of dragon are you?"

"I'm a water dragon and I don't breathe fire Cream." Lilac giggled, "As for what I do, I fight to keep Avalice safe from crime and injustice, much like your Sonic does."

"Hey Sonic, I think we've found a female version of you!" Amy snorted with laughter.

"Harr, harr, very funny..." Sonic muttered.

He then walked over to Torque, Milla, Gong and Neera.

"So I take it you're Lilac's buddies then?" he asked.

"We are!" Milla said excitedly, "I'm Milla! What's your name?"

"I'm Sonic." the hedgehog replied, "It's nice to meet you Milla. You know...you really remind me of Cream Milla. High voice, big ears, big cutesy eyes, it's almost like you're her long lost sister or something!"

Milla giggled.

"Amy told us much about you Sonic." Neera said, bowing before Sonic, "She and her friend Tails have told us about how you're the hero of your world. It's an honour to meet you."

"Yeah, what she said." Gong added.

"Thanks, glad to hear." Sonic said, "It's nice to meet you all too."

"Pleasure's all ours." Torque said, shaking his hand, "So Sonic, tell me, what do you do? What makes you Mobius's big hero then?"

"Well hence my name, I can run at sonic speeds." Sonic explained, "My speed makes me a big contender for my enemies and..."

"Hey Sonic, didn't you say you have a friend named Knuckles?" Lilac suddenly interrupted.

Sonic stopped and he suddenly realized that Knuckles hadn't shown up at all.

"Yes...yes I did." he said slowly, "He's not here is he?"

"No, it doesn't look like it." Tails said, shaking his head.

"And Carol's not here too!" Milla piped, "Where is she?"

"Maybe they haven't been found yet." Lilac suggested, "I'm sure they'll turn up eventually."

"They have been found." explained a G.U.N. soldier who was still mounted in his jeep, "One of our men just reported to us that they found Knuckles and Carol. They're chasing after a big ship that's coming towards the city and we have to be prepared for its arrival as they suspect Eggman and Avalice's big enemy is onboard."

"What giant ship heading towards the city?" asked Sonic.

"I think that's it up there..." Lilac said, her face pale as she pointed up at the sky and a shadow began to fall over the heroes.

The Mobians and Avalicians stared up at the sky and got a big shock as they saw what was coming towards them. The Egg Dreadnought had arrived and now it loomed above the heroes and waiting armies, waiting to attack. Everybody stared in disbelief at it. They could hardly believe what they were seeing.

"Holy cow...it looks like the Death Egg only more evil!" Sonic blustered.

"I recognize the other bits of the ship...it's from Brevon's ship the Dreadnought!" Torque yelped.

"Eggman and Brevon ARE working together after all!" Tails shrieked, "Their ships have become one just like our worlds and now they're both here in their fusion vessel!"

"Well now they're here, they're going down!" Lilac growled, "Get ready everybody!"

"We're gonna give Eggman and Brevon a major headache each!" Sonic declared, waiting to attack...

* * *

 _ **The gang's back together! YAY! But for how long? Eggman and Brevon are here to cause chaos! Will our heroes survive? Find out next time as the battle begins...**_


	7. Chapter 6: Battlefield

**Act 2**

 _Chapter 6: Battlefield_

Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon stared at their screen as the Egg Dreadnought approached the city of Shangopolis. They had surprisingly enough had a very calm and easy-going flight all the way over to the city. They had expected to at least run into somebody that was going to try and stop them or take a shot at them. They had even expected to run into at least Sonic or Lilac on their trip. But they hadn't come across a single Mobian or Avalician since the fusion process had happened. This had filled them with hope that the whole thing meant that their enemies were already dead and thus, they could inflict terror on the fusion world they had created and have any surviving inhabitants cower before them.

But that hope had been smashed to smithereens as the Egg Dreadnought arrived at Shangopolis. The huge vessel loomed just before the city itself but unfortunately, it wasn't on its own. It had a resistance waiting to receive it and said resistance was quite possibly the worst kind they could've received. All their enemies banded together, both with an army each. G.U.N. for the Mobians and Shang Mu's troops for the Avalicians. When the Chaos Control had been initiated, Eggman and Brevon had had mentally ordered the process to separate their enemies. Chaos Energy transformed thoughts into power as Eggman had said. And yet their enemies were all together and clearly waiting to unleash all hell on the two. Eggman thumped the control panel in rage whereas Brevon looked more pleased to see his enemies than angry.

"How can this be?!" the fat doctor ranted angrily, "Our enemies are supposed to be separated! How can they be all together again?!"

 **"Isn't it obvious? They found each other."** Brevon snorted.

"And at a VERY inconvenient time too!" Eggman moaned, "We was just about to assert our authority over this new world we've created and now Sonic and his friends are here with Lilac and her friends to ruin everything!"

 **"Do not fret doctor. We have no chance of losing to our enemies. Not while we have the greatest power there is..."** the alien warlord purred.

He glanced over his shoulder and looked at the dazzling Kingdom Emerald behind him and Eggman. The scientist turned around and looked at it too, grinning now he remembered that they had the glorious gem on them. The blue and green emerald shone luminously, waiting for the chance to be used again. The very gem had brought Mobius and Avalice together and Eggman and Brevon still had it in their hands. They would win this battle easily. They couldn't lose at all with Chaos Energy and Kingdom Energy combined and at their disposal.

"Oh yes indeed my alien friend..." Eggman crooned, "Ho, ho, ho, I can't believe I forgot about that! With the Kingdom Emerald, we have all the power!"

 **"And our enemies have no power at all."** Brevon gloated, **"They have already lost and the battle hasn't even begun yet."**

"Time to claim our victory then!" the scientist chortled excitedly.

 **"And then this world will bow to us..."** the extra-terrestrial sneered.

Grinning maniacally, Eggman and Brevon turned back to the control panel and both of them pressed a button that activated the Egg Dreadnought's loud speakers. Once they spoke into the microphones built into the control panel, everybody outside would hear them. Down below, Sonic, Lilac and their teams waited for something to happen. They were getting ready to jump into battle but just as they were about to attack, they heard the voices of their worst enemies booming out from the Egg Dreadnought.

"Attention Mobians and Avalicians!" boomed Eggman's voice, "You stand before us, ready to resist us and cause a great deal of inconvenience for us!"

 **"Such behaviour is high treason to your leaders!"** boomed Brevon's voice, **"You are to cease any futile attempts to interfere with our reign or we will have you all vaporized!"**

Sonic just snorted.

"Seriously? The two have the balls to threaten US, say we're committing treason and then say that they're OUR leaders?!" he scoffed, "I didn't think Eggman's ego could get any bigger..."

"Brevon! We know that you and Eggman have done this!" Lilac barked up at the Egg Dreadnought, her face full of unfathomable fury, "We know that you two have fused our worlds together and we're gonna give you one chance to undo all of this before we tear your stupid fusion ship apart!"

The dragon's rants were met with something that Lilac had not wanted to receive as a response. Mocking laughter ringing out from the Egg Dreadnought. Eggman and Brevon both cackled as if Lilac had just said something incredibly stupid rather than threatening.

 **"You do not have the power to stop us little one!"** Brevon jeered, **"Our ship is invincible. Putting up any kind of fight against it is futile!"**

"And do you seriously think we're going to undo what we've done after we worked hard making this world a reality?!" Eggman chortled, "You must think we're lunatics or something!"

"We do actually." scoffed Neera Li, "Brevon was already a lunatic before this happened and you "Eggman" are equally as loony as he is!"

"And now they're even bigger lunatics now they're working together." sniffed Tails, a snide smile spreading across his face.

"We're digressing..." Lilac interrupted, "You two, how the heck did you fuse our worlds together anyway?!"

"Did you use the Master Emerald and the Kingdom Energy to do it?" Sonic added.

"Oh we most certainly did!" Eggman crowed, "That's why we stole them after all!"

 **"We used the power of your world's magnificent energies to bring you both together so that we have a world we can rule over and punish those who wronged us in the past."** gloated Brevon, **"We met within the space portal that linked your worlds together and used a Chaos Control to bring your worlds into the limbo between worlds and combine your planets into one big planet for us!"**

Tails could hardly believe his ears. He had always wondered what the strange light that had appeared annually above Mobius for so long was. Now he knew.

"Space portal? You mean the strange white light that appeared annually above Mobius is a gateway between worlds?" he asked.

"That's exactly what it is..." Torque confirmed, "And to think that that light was a bridge between Mobius and Avalice the whole time..."

"So it seems that our worlds have always been linked in some way or another!" Amy gasped.

"Talk about crazy!" Gong exclaimed.

"And that space portal was how this whole thing began..." Lilac mused.

"Eggman and Brevon met thanks to it and used it to go to our worlds to steal the M.E. and the Kingdom Energy!" Sonic deduced, "And according to Lord Eyebrows, we're not only in a combination of our two worlds, but inside the limbo that links our worlds together!"

"Does this mean that we're stuck here forever?" Milla asked worriedly.

"Not necessarily." Tails said matter-of-factly, "We're in-between our worlds, that means the portals must still be open. We can separate our worlds and restore them to normal."

 **"I'm afraid that will not be as easy as you think little one."** Brevon's deep, menacing voice announced confidently, **"We have closed the portals that have brought you here."**

"Only we can open them up now with the power we have!" Eggman boasted, "So you're trapped in this limbo on our fusion world forever! You want to escape? Then you have to come and get us!"

"How nice of you to invite us to a party!" Sonic laughed, cracking his knuckles, "Say guys, you think we should accept their invitation?"

"You bet!" Amy declared, summoning her hammer to her hands.

"Brevon and Eggman must pay!" Milla screeched.

"And our worlds must be restored." Lilac growled, "Let's give them everything we've got!"

"For Avalice!"

"And for Mobius!"

The G.U.N. and Shang Mu troops were quick to respond to such declarations. They would happily join their world's heroes in stopping the Egg Dreadnought and restoring their worlds to normal. The jeeps, airships, robots and jets all aimed their weapons at the huge, menacing vessel above and began to unleash an onslaught of hail fire on it. Bullets, lasers and cannons all fired and bombarded the Egg Dreadnought, firing relentlessly and doing the best they could to try and penetrate or even bring down the ship. With the mass numbers they had and the enormous amount of weaponry at their disposal, they had quickly turned this situation into a flat-out warzone. The Egg Dreadnought just loomed where it was, taking all the firepower as if it were merely pebbles being tossed into a hard surface. Eggman and Brevon took all of this in with a confident smile each. This whole thing was merely entertainment for them.

"Do they seriously think their puny weapons can penetrate us?" Eggman chortled.

 **"They're as persistent as they are foolish."** Brevon crowed, **"Well now we can show them the consequences of their stupidity."**

He nodded to Serpentine and Syntax while Eggman nodded to Orbot and Cubot, who were standing by and waiting for orders. They all reacted immediately and Serpentine slammed his hand down on a button on the control panel. Orbot and Cubot did the same on Eggman's side of the panel. Syntax merely tapped into the Egg Dreadnought's weapon systems through a link she had with the ship's systems.

"Bon voyage heroes!" Cubot yelled, still sporting a French Accent.

"Let's show them what firepower WE have!" Serpentine cackled.

As the resistance continued firing heavily onto the Egg Dreadnought, the ship's own weapons began to deploy. Huge laser cannons extended out from the base of the ship and aimed down at the jeeps on the ground. Some cannons pointed up at the flying vehicles. The Mobians and Avalicians saw this and were quick to react.

"Look out! They're gonna fire!" Sonic yelped.

"Get back!" Lilac screeched.

The G.U.N. troops and Shang Mu guards did not heed their warning, even as the Mobians and Avalicians ran for cover. They continued to shoot at the Egg Dreadnought as if it would do them any good and that they would finally penetrate it. But the ship's tough hull still held up against their onslaughts despite how heavily it was being bombarded. Then suddenly, the Egg Dreadnought opened fire on its resistance. Huge laser blasts shot out of the cannons and sliced straight through the jeeps, destroying them instantly and killing their drivers. The jeeps never stood a chance as they were blown apart. The airships and jets launched several missiles at the Egg Dreadnought to try and counter attack the laser shots. Some of their missiles successfully managed to block the lasers and some of them managed to hit the ship. But they still couldn't damage it in any way. Several G.U.N. drones and Shang Mu Guard Bots flew up to attack the Egg Dreadnought but they were destroyed easily by the firing lasers. The ship was firing in several directions at once, making it near impossible to get close without being shot. It was an impossible battle to win for the troops. The evil vessel fired at the Shang Mu airships and blew them apart instantly. Fiery debris and smoking wrecks crashed down onto the city, smashing anything they landed on. The G.U.N. jets were harder to hit as they constantly flew around like bees circling a flower but they barely offered any resistance whatsoever. Their missiles couldn't penetrate the ship. The Egg Dreadnought wasted no time in shooting them down, firing rapidly in hopes of hitting the jets as they kept circling it.

The Mobians and Avalicians could only watch helplessly as the troops that had brought them together were being annihilated with ease. Jets were shot down, airships were blown apart and jeeps were destroyed in virtually no time whatsoever.

"They're losing!" Milla wailed.

"They're more than just losing little doggy." Amy said sadly, "They're dying out there!"

"We've gotta help them!" Sonic declared, "Come on, let's go!"

"What can we do?!" Torque exclaimed, "We haven't got anything that can fight back!"

"Yes we have!" Lilac corrected, "That ship the two-tailed fox owns over there!" she pointed over at the Blue Typhoon which was standing nearby, mercifully being spared from the Egg Dreadnought's firepower, "And Dail's ship could also help too!"

"Great idea!" Tails replied, "We'll get our ships in the air and we'll fight back! I've always wanted to test the Blue Typhoon's firepower!"

"My ship is well armed and efficient in battle. We'll be able to return fire with it." Dail announced, "Avalicians, with me!" he ordered.

"Mobians, let's get the Blue Typhoon up and flying!" Sonic commanded.

The two groups ran off to their respective vessels, keen to get in the air as soon as possible and put an end to the Egg Dreadnought's terror. There weren't many troops left to combat the Egg Dreadnought and very soon, the city would be defenceless. The Mobians all boarded the Blue Typhoon and the Avalicians all boarded Dail's ship. Once they were onboard, the two ships were quick to take off and rise up into the sky to fight the villains. As they took off, the squadron that had found Knuckles and Carol had arrived just in time to provide back-up for their dying troops. The echidna and wildcat saw despairingly that they weren't in time to stop the ship from attacking. Mercifully, the city hadn't been touched by the Egg Dreadnought though they could see that some airships had been shot down and had destroyed parts of the city by landing down on top of buildings.

"Pity we didn't get here a few minutes earlier..." Carol sighed.

"We're still in time to stop it from razing the city!" Knuckles cried, "And look, my friends' ship the Blue Typhoon is here!" he added, pointing at said vessel as it took to the skies.

"You mean your buddies own THAT awesome looking thing?!" the wildcat exclaimed, "That is so cool! And what's even cooler is that King Dail's ship is here too!" she pointed up at the green airship that was now challenging the Egg Dreadnought.

"Looks like both sides are against it." Knuckles said approvingly, "And our finders said Sonic and Lilac were waiting for us. I bet they're on those ships fighting back against that evil one!"

"Then let's join them!" Carol cried, "Yo robo fists, give me a ride up to Dail's ship will ya?" she requested, looking over at a Shang Mu Guard Bot that was about to fight against the attacking ship.

The robot responded immediately and flew over to the wildcat. It grabbed Carol by the arms and hoisted her up into the sky, heading straight up towards the green airship above. For Knuckles, a G.U.N. flying drone hovered towards him as if inviting him for a ride up into the sky. Knuckles grabbed onto it and pointed up at the Blue Typhoon, ordering the drone to take him over to it. The robot responded immediately and carried him straight up towards the Blue Typhoon, avoiding laser shots from the Egg Dreadnought as it continued to fire. The Shang Mu Robot did the same, Carol yelping in fright every time she nearly got singed by the lasers. But luckily for the two, they managed to avoid being hit and the two robots arrived at the respective ships. Carol jumped down onto the decks of Dail's airship, earning an immediate response of joyous delight from her friends. Lilac and the others had been on the decks for in case anything happened that required them to be out in the open and the dragon immediately sprinted over to Carol, seeming to forget about the fight that was happening. The two friends embraced delightedly.

"Carol! You found us at last!" Lilac hollered, "Now the gang's all back together!"

"You betcha!" Carol cried, "Thought it would've been nicer if we were back together and not getting shot at by presumably Brevon and Mobius's big enemy, Eggman I believe the Mobians called him!" she screeched, pointing ahead as the Egg Dreadnought fired at the squadron that had just returned with her and Knuckles.

"That's exactly who's onboard that ship." Lilac confirmed, "Brevon and…pfft…Dr. Eggman, the guy who stole the Kingdom Energy. They confirmed to us that they're responsible for all of this and now we've gotta stop them so we can get our worlds back to normal."

"Good thing I'm in time for that!" Carol cried, "Let's kick their asses everybody!"

"Carol, I thought Lilac said that was a bad word…" Milla said innocently.

The wildcat ignored her and focused on the Egg Dreadnought as Dail's ship aimed its cannons ahead and opened fire. His airship was the most advanced and heavily armed of any airship on Avalice. His weapons would have more effect than Shang Mu's airships did.

Over on the Blue Typhoon, the G.U.N. drone lowered Knuckles onto the runway of the ship. Unlike Carol, he wasn't met with a ceremonious welcome from his friends for they were all in the bridge of the ship. However, up in the bridge, Tails saw that Knuckles had arrived on the ship and smiled as the echidna ran towards it. Knuckles knew how to get inside so he didn't need to send anybody out to receive him. The echidna ran across the ship and over to the bridge. There was a door at the base of the tower that was used for if anybody outside the ship needed a quick way of getting inside. He opened the door and ran into the tower, climbing all the way up to the bridge and running over to his friends who were all sat at the controls and waiting to open fire. They all waved at him gleefully.

"Knuckles! So glad you could join us hot head!" Sonic said brightly.

"So good that you found us. Now we're all reunited!" Tails cried cheerfully.

"Looks like I picked a good time to show up!" Knuckles blustered, "Me and an Avalician named Carol saw this thing and chased after it, which led to G.U.N. and people from Carol's world finding us and bringing us here! We think our enemies are onboard that ship."

"Your thoughts were correct." Amy confirmed, "Eggman's on that thing along with Avalice's enemy Lord Brevon, the guy who stole the Master Emerald!"

"Those bad, bad men are the ones who did all this!" Cream chimed in, "They used the energies from the things they stole from our worlds to fuse our planets together! And we're gonna stop them!"

"You can count me in." Knuckles said, getting into his seat and grabbing the controls, "Those monsters are gonna pay for using my emerald's power to do all of this!"

Sonic nodded agreeably, sharing the same mind-set.

The Blue Typhoon aimed its gun turrets at the Egg Dreadnought and began to bombard the ship with heavy laser fire. Tails had built the Blue Typhoon for precisely this purpose, to combat any Eggman ships he encountered. The Egg Dreadnought was part Death Egg so his firepower would be effective. The Blue Typhoon and King Dail's ships both unleashed all their firepower onto the ship, clearly having more impact than the jeeps, jets and airships. Most of the Egg Dreadnought's firepower was directed onto the squadrons on the ground, leaving them more open to attack from their two new opponents. The laser and cannon fire hit the ship's tough hull but did no damage. But the impact was much harder and more noticeable from the two ships. Eggman and Brevon actually felt the interior shudder as they were hit.

"What's going on?!" Eggman yelped.

"It appears we're being hit by heavy weaponry…" Orbot announced.

"Who's doing it?!" Serpentine demanded furiously.

Eggman and Brevon peered at their screen and saw that the Blue Typhoon and Dail's airship had joined in the battle. Their henchmen saw this too and they stared in shock.

"Sacre bleu! Ze heroes have got their own ships Mon Capitan!" Cubot exclaimed.

"They're firing at us." Syntax droned nonchalantly, "The Mobians and Avalicians clearly do not want to back down without a fight."

 **"Then shoot them down and destroy them!"** Brevon snarled, **"They will not destroy our vessel and ruin everything now!"**

The robots and cyber snake obeyed and they began to turn some of their firepower onto their new opponents. A few of their cannons rotated upwards, leaving some to keep firing at the ground. There wasn't much ground support left anyway so it didn't matter if fewer jeeps were shooting at them. Most of the jeeps had been destroyed. There were only a few airships and some jets left along with the Blue Typhoon and Dail's airship. The Egg Dreadnought then opened fire, shooting straight at the two ships. But the Blue Typhoon and the Green Airship aimed their weapons at the oncoming shots and fired, stopping them from hitting home. Neera Li even fired some ice spears and Spade threw some cards at the Egg Dreadnought's lasers to stop them getting anywhere. So far now, the air-to-air combat was beginning to get even sided. Neither ship could really damage another but the heroes had some of G.U.N. and Shang Mu's army left still firing at the Egg Dreadnought. The Egg Dreadnought wouldn't be able to hold out forever with such relentless firepower. And soon after the fight had begun, the heroes ended up with some extra support.

Commander Tower and the Lead Shang Mu Guard's squadrons had finally returned home and upon seeing their forces along with the Mobians and Avalicians firing at the strange vessel they had come across, they knew that they had to get involved too. Their jeeps and air vehicles aimed at the Egg Dreadnought and began shooting at it from behind. Shadow and Rouge left their jeep and the bat flew Shadow up towards the Blue Typhoon while Omega stayed on the ground and unleashed his entire arsenal on the Egg Dreadnought. He was enjoying this greatly as his Gatling guns spat out showers of bullets and his rocket launchers threw missiles at the ship. The Egg Dreadnought had some cannons that extended out of the back of the vessel and began shooting at the attacking squadrons from behind. Many of the jeeps were hit and destroyed instantly but Commander Tower and the Lead Guard managed to avoid being hit, still keeping their weapons focused on the evil vessel above.

"All surviving G.U.N. units, evasive action!" Tower barked, "Do not remain still while shooting! Keeping moving around as you fire!"

"All units keep eyes on the target and avoid being shot!" the Lead Guard commanded, "Keep moving at all times!"

Their armies understood completely and did just that. The jeeps began to drive around randomly while still shooting at the Egg Dreadnought while the jets and airships kept shooting from the sky, not once standing still for a moment. Hails of bullets, missiles, cannons and lasers hammered, onto the Egg Dreadnought, bouncing away harmlessly but shaking the crew up inside, meaning that they were going to impact it greatly eventually.

Dail's airship was doing the same thing; making every shot it fired count in either hitting the Egg Dreadnought or blocking its laser fire. Milla even added some extra firepower by throwing green energy blocks at the ship. The blocks along with Neera's ice beams and Spade's cards made excellent defence against their enemy's firepower and some of the shots even hit the ship itself. It worried Lilac a little to see Milla pushing herself like this. The dog didn't often use her trademark powers in rapid succession like she was doing now, making the dragon wonder if she would be over-exerting herself by doing so. Milla didn't seem to be getting tired though as she kept summoning blocks and throwing them one after another.

The combined firepower from the Blue Typhoon and the Green Airship along with any surviving G.U.N. and Shang Mu troops was slowly but steadily beginning to make some kind of breakthrough on the Egg Dreadnought. The ship's hull was extremely tough and hard to penetrate but even a ship as powerful as this had its limits. The constant bombardment from laser, cannon and missile fire was beginning to finally leave some kind of damage on the ship. Some of the Green Airship's missiles hit the Egg Dreadnought and left some cracks that were beginning to spread across the hull. The Blue Typhoon's weaponry along with Shadow's Chaos Spears were beginning to leave dents in the tough body of the vessel. The ship's hull was starting to give way. Very soon, they would start blowing holes in it and once they'd done so, they'd be able to tear the ship to pieces. The battle was going in the Mobians and Avalician's favour.

But despite this, their victory wasn't as easy to grab as they thought. Inside the Egg Dreadnought, Eggman and Brevon were well aware of the damages that were being done to their ship. The interior shook as if it was hit by an earthquake and the computer screens were frantically displaying the levels of damage that the ship was receiving. The two villains glared at their screens, not at all pleased to see that they were sustaining damage. It made them even angrier to see that most of the damage they were receiving was coming from their enemies.

"Curse those animals! They're damaging our ship!" Eggman ranted, "They'll blow us apart if they keep at it like this!"

"And then we can add this to your over-growing list of failures and your equally as long list of defeats at Sonic the Hedgehog's hands Dr. Eggman." Orbot said casually.

"SHUT UP!" the fat doctor bellowed, "We've got to stop those miscreants from tearing us apart!"

 **"And I know just how to do it…"** Brevon declared, **"I will go over to the Avalician ship and take out as much of their weaponry as possible. Or even better…tear the ship apart myself!"**

"And I shall do the same for Sonic's ship!" Eggman decided, "I'll send Metal Sonic over there immediately!"

 **"And I shall prepare my battle-mech."** the alien warlord crooned, **"Serpentine, Syntax, remain at your posts and keep firing at those ships! I will try and make your job in destroying the dragon girl's ship easier."**

"As you wish my lord." Serpentine said loyally.

The cyber-snake and the robo-henchwoman remained where they were while Brevon turned and stomped out of the room to get his mech ready. Eggman remained where he was, keeping an eye on the enemy ships while Orbot and Cubot kept their weapons firing. He then pressed a button on the control panel.

"Metal Sonic, this is Dr. Eggman! Get out there and tear Sonic's ship apart!" he bellowed.

Metal Sonic, who was in stasis mode until he was needed, woke up and responded to his master's command immediately. He was on the bottom floor of the Egg Dreadnought while everybody else was up top. Metal Sonic walked over to a deployment hatch which was there for precisely such an occasion and he opened it. The wind rushed in as if to greet him as the door was opened. Metal Sonic then activated his jet pack and he sped on out of the ship, flying towards the Blue Typhoon. Not far behind him, another machine dispatched from the Egg Dreadnought and began flying towards the Green Airship. It was Brevon in his battle mech. It was a small flying machine with four legs for walking if it needed to fight on the ground. It was a deadly machine, capable of great destruction and was quite hardy in battle. His mech was known as the Absolution. The Absolution and Metal Sonic both headed towards their targets, ready to tear them apart.

The Green Airship didn't realize that it was about to receive an intruder as it kept throwing missiles at the Egg Dreadnought. By the time the Avalicians realized this though, it was too late. They all jumped back in alarm as the Absolution deployed is walker legs and landed on the decks of Dail's ship. Lilac's face contorted with rage for she knew exactly who was in the flying mech. She had taken out the Absolution at least twice last month with her friends.

"Brevon…decided to get your hands dirty did you?" she growled, "Glad you are…I still owe you plenty for what you did to me and my friends last month! And this time, you WON'T get away!"

 **"Then let us see if you're still as potent as you were the last time we met…"** Brevon purred confidently from inside the Absolution.

The Absolution then suddenly began to open fire. Huge beams of lasers emitted from the nose of the mech/cruiser machine and the Avalicians all had to dodge them before they were hit. The lasers swept over the decks and headed towards the masts holding the sails aloft. If the masts were hit then the airship would find it harder to keep stable. Luckily, Milla summoned a green block to her hands and threw it at the lasers, stopping them from hitting the masts. Lilac and Carol were quick to react before the Absolution could shoot again. The dragon curled up into a ball and dragon-boosted straight into the nose section of the flying mech. The Absolution didn't budge from the attack but Brevon felt it from within the mech's cockpit. He couldn't let Lilac hit him like that or he would lose his powerful weapon again. He aimed, ready to shoot again but he was caught off-guard as Carol jumped up and launched a spinning kick at the cockpit window of the Absolution. The wildcat's feet moved so rapidly that Brevon could barely see them as she attacked the Absolution. He pulled back on the joysticks, making the Absolution rear up like a deer ready to launch its hooves at its predator. The nose section flicked Carol away as the cruiser mech reared up but Torque quickly flew up and caught her before she could land into danger. Spade charged forward and began launching a volley of cards at the Absolution as if he were throwing a bunch of bombs at the man who had murdered his father. For once, Lilac was all too happy to stand back and let him unleash all hell. At least he was attacking the enemy instead of her for once. The cards hit the Absolution but did no damage. However, they made a good distraction for Brevon could hardly see properly as the cards kept hitting the cockpit window. This gave Spade's brother the chance to attack. Dail boosted towards Brevon and kick-slammed one of the Absolution's legs, making it lean aside slightly.

"This is for my father!" he cried, "And for brainwashing me and making me do terrible things to my planet and aid you in your evil plans last month!"

He then jumped up and stomped down on the Absolution's cockpit window. Brevon growled furiously and he made the Absolution rear up again, flicking Dail into the air. However, the panda landed on one of the ship's masts and he sprung off it directly into the cockpit window. Spade joined him, the two brothers slamming into the window together. The both leapt back just as the Absolution jumped up and slammed down on the decks, sending a shockwave that nearly swept everybody off of their feet. Then the menacing machine began firing more lasers at the Avalicians. Milla summoned a shield in front of everybody and blocked most of the shots. But then suddenly, the Absolution rose up and retracted its legs. It boosted up its engines and then rocketed towards the heroes like a swooping eagle. The Avalicians threw themselves down onto the floor before they could be hit. But as they ducked, the Absolution sailed over them and tore straight through one of the ship's masts. The mast and the sail it held up fell over, hit the decks and then toppled over the edge onto the ground below. The Absolution then turned around and charged straight back towards the airship. It aimed straight for the hull, threatening to plough straight through the ship and annihilate it. However, Lilac saved the ship by Dragon-Boosting straight into the nose section of the Absolution. The attack came from slightly above, the force knocking the ship downwards and causing it to plummet straight down as opposed to going straight ahead like Brevon wanted. The machine deployed its legs and landed on all fours on the ground below. The moment it landed, Lilac ran over to the edge of the ship.

"Me, Carol and Milla will make sure Brevon stays on the ground! The rest of you keep shooting at the big vessel ahead!" Lilac ordered.

"Be careful down there." Torque said cautiously, "I...I don't want you three to go through the horrors he subjected you to last month again."

"Don't sweat it Torque-y boy! We'll be fine!" Carol insisted, "Team Lilac is a-go!"

"We still need to work on the name..." Lilac snickered.

The dragon then threw herself off of the ship and Dragon-Boosted straight down towards the Absolution while Milla carried Carol down by flapping her ears. The Absolution was just about to jump up and fly back towards the airship but just as it left the ground, Lilac hurtled straight into it and slammed it down onto the ground. The cruiser/mech machine lay flat on the grass with its limbs all spread out as Lilac jumped off of it. Carol and Milla landed on the ground just behind their draconian ally and they watched as the Absolution picked itself up, ready to attack again. It fired a bunch of lasers at the heroine trio but Lilac, Carol and Milla dodged the shots before they could get hit. Milla then summoned a shield to her hands and held it in front of her as the Absolution came closer. She then fired an energy beam that smacked straight into the nose section of the mech and made it back away. Lilac and Carol then jumped in with a Wild Claw and a Dragon Cyclone attack, tearing away at the metal of the ship as they hit it. The Absolution leaped backwards to get some distance away from the girls and then proceeded to fire another round of lasers.

Meanwhile, Metal Sonic arrived at the Blue Typhoon and was quick to start spin-dashing the ship. He hurled through the air in a spiky metal ball and he began tearing through the runway atop the ship's bow section. Shadow and Rouge saw this and the black hedgehog was quick to react. He curled up into a ball and spin-dashed Metal Sonic, knocking him backwards and nearly throwing him clean off the ship itself. Metal Sonic just managed to save himself from falling off and he charged back towards Shadow, his optics blazing and his claws bared. He hit the Ultimate Lifeform and knocked him down onto his back but Shadow swung his legs upwards and sent Metal Sonic flying across the runway and into the hangar doors at the start. Shadow picked himself up and threw some Chaos Spears at Metal Sonic. The robot Sonic clone stood up only to be knocked down again by the spears. Up in the bridge, Sonic and his friends could see that they had an intruder and Sonic quickly jumped out of his seat.

"Hey look, Metal Sonic's come to join the fun! How nice of him!" he exclaimed excitedly, "You keep firing at Eggman and Brevon's ship, I'm gonna help Shadow take care of my robot twin!"

"Be careful out there Sonic!" Tails cried, "You know how dangerous Metal Sonic is!"

"Dangerous? Nah. More like a nuisance to me." Sonic said casually.

The hedgehog then ran out of the control room and took the stairs down to the emergency exit at the base of the bridge tower. He let himself out and sped across the Blue Typhoon's hull towards the battle. He saw Rouge screw-kick Metal Sonic and knock him down onto his side. It was fortunate that Shadow and Rouge had been on the runway when Metal Sonic had arrived, otherwise more damage could've been done and the ship would've been in major trouble. Metal Sonic picked himself up and spin-dashed Shadow, knocking him into one of the artificial trees on the sides of the runway. Rouge threw a powerful kick to Metal Sonic's chest that made him stagger but it didn't stop him completely. He instead just scanned Rouge and copied her data. The bat flew towards him but the robot Sonic clone suddenly jumped up and spun around with his feet pointing towards her in the exact same manner that Rouge's screw-kicks worked. He hit the femme fatale right in the small of her back, knocking her down onto her stomach and making her cry out in pain. Sonic decided now was a good time to get involved and thus, he spin-dashed towards Metal Sonic and hit him in the side, throwing his nemesis across the runway. The robot came down with a heavy clunk that disorientated him for a moment but he picked himself up and prepared to attack again. Sonic, Shadow and Rouge all stood together, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"You two mind if I help out?" Sonic asked.

"He's YOUR robot copy so I don't see why not." Shadow smirked.

"We'll give Metal Sonic a fond farewell Sonic boy." Rouge said with a wink.

"Now that's my kind of talk!" Sonic cried gleefully.

He and Shadow both rocketed towards Metal Sonic in a spin-dash that would easily tear the robot apart when they hit him. But Metal Sonic was prepared for them. He quickly dodged the attacks by flying over them and just as Sonic and Shadow uncurled from their spin-dashed, he flew in behind and dropkicked them both in the back. The two boys were knocked down and before they could get back up, Metal Sonic seized them by their quills and tossed them into the air towards Rouge. The bat flew up and caught them before they could crash into her but then Metal Sonic boosted towards her and copied Lilac's Dragon-Cyclone attack, walloping the trio and throwing them down onto the runway. The Mobians grunted in pain but they weren't down and out by a long shot. They were back on their feet in no time at all and Shadow wasted no time in throwing a Chaos Spear at Metal Sonic. The spear struck him between the optics, sending him stumbling backwards. Sonic then hit his mechanical clone with a homing attack that made him stumble backwards some more and Rouge added the final blow by screw-kicking Metal Sonic in the chest. The attack took him clean off his feet and threw him overboard. Sonic ran over to the edge as if preparing to follow him.

"Come on, let's go after!" Sonic cried, "We'll keep him grounded so the Blue Typhoon won't get damaged some more!"

"Good idea Sonic." Rouge purred, "Fancy a ride?"

"Sure why not?" the supersonic hero said brightly, "Shadow?"

"I'll warp down." Shadow declared, snapping his fingers and teleporting from sight.

He had a limited teleportation range without a Chaos Emerald on him so he appeared then disappeared and reappeared constantly until he reached the ground. Rouge took Sonic by the hands and flew him down towards Metal Sonic, who had just landed on his back down below. Once Sonic and Rouge had landed, Metal Sonic suddenly sprang onto his feet and clawed at the three. He missed them by centimetres And Shadow quickly retaliated by throwing a terrific punch to the face on Metal Sonic. Sonic kicked him just as he stumbled towards him, throwing the robot forwards and giving Rouge the perfect chance to kick upwards into his chin. Her blow sent his head snapping backwards, nearly tearing it off in the process. Metal Sonic recovered and blasted at the trio with his torso laser. He struck all three of them and knocked them down onto their backs. Sonic sprang up first and Homing-Attacked Metal Sonic just as his robot clone was doing the same. They both hit each other and sent themselves skidding backwards. It was like fighting his mirror reflection to Sonic, only this mirror would soon shatter when he was finished with the robot. Shadow and Rouge picked themselves up and the trio came charging at Metal Sonic once again.

Meanwhile, Lilac, Carol and Milla were knocked aside as the Absolution charged into them like a thundering rhinoceros. Its four legs weren't just for landing or walking with, they could be used for charges like this. To the girls, it felt as if they'd been run over by a truck as they were thrown across the grasslands by the charge. Lilac groaned, trying to get all her bones to knit as she forced herself up. The Absolution stomped towards Lilac and aimed its powerful cannons at her, ready to kill her once and for all. With her out of the way, stopping Dail's airship would be a piece of cake. But before Brevon could kill Lilac, Carol and Milla both ran towards the ship and kicked its rear legs as hard as they could, causing them to go inwards and make the Absolution rise up, shooting up at the sky instead of at Lilac like Brevon had been intending. The dragon quickly picked herself up and Dragon-Cyclone attacked the cockpit window of the cruiser. She left a few cracks in it but no serious damage was done. The Absolution reared up and walloped Lilac away with its right front foot. The dragon flew through the air like a flicked sweet wrapper and she hit the ground heavily. Carol and Milla tried to help but the Absolution suddenly kicked outwards with its rear legs, hitting the cat and dog and knocking them back. They lay on the grass, groaning in pain.

Brevon then cackled delightedly, pleased to see his enemies were downed for long enough for him to attack the airship again. The Absolution took flight and rocketed up towards the airship in a devastating charge. Nobody could stop him now, not while the airship was so focused on the Egg Dreadnought and everybody was presuming that Lilac and her friends were keeping Brevon at bay. Dail and the others were completely unprepared as the Absolution struck the Green Airship and tore straight through it as if it was made of breadsticks. By sheer luck, the Absolution hadn't hit the airship in any place Torque, Dail, Neera, Gong and Spade were standing but he had come very close. They all screamed in terror as the huge cruiser/mech hybrid erupted through the bottom of the ship and ploughed all the way up through the top, tearing it apart and rendering it utterly useless and unfit for flight. Smoke billowed out from the airship as it began to crumble down to the ground. Torque grabbed Dail and flew off the ship while Spade jumped off and boosted down to the ground. Neera saved herself and Gong by making platforms of ice with her sceptre that led down to the ground. Everybody touched down on the grass just as Team Lilac picked themselves up and watched with despair as Dail's glorious vessel crashed down onto the ground in a burning, smouldering wreck of flames, burning steel and billowing smoke. Their best weapon against the Dreadnought had been annihilated completely.

The Mobians were just about to join them in defeat. Metal Sonic screw-kicked Rouge in the belly, knocking her down onto her back and he braced himself as Shadow and Sonic came running towards him. He flew up out of the way just as they tried to spin-dash him and the moment they came out of their attacks, Metal Sonic stomp-kicked the two in the same fashion that Sonic would've done so. Metal Sonic had always had Sonic's data in him since the day he was created. He had all of his attacks. Sonic and Shadow were knocked down onto the ground and left groaning in pain as they got a face full of dirt. The killer robot then grabbed the two by the scruffs of their necks and he slammed both Sonic and Shadow's heads together. The attack left them both dazed and confused as they slumped onto the grass, their heads aching and their senses unfocused and unclear. Metal Sonic then raised his claws, aiming for Sonic's throat. One simple slash would be enough to kill the hedgehog in seconds. His organic counterpart would challenge him no longer. But just as he was about to lash out with the finishing strike, Rouge flew towards the robot Sonic clone and grabbed hold of him, taking him off his feet and flying up into the sky. She was intending to take him for a ride and then throw him down to hopefully damage him greatly. But unfortunately, Metal Sonic was smart enough to work out Rouge's plan and he broke free of the bat's grip. He did a somersault in mid-air and slammed the heel of his foot down on her head, sending Rouge plummeting down to the ground. The bat cried out as she landed on top of Sonic and Shadow. They all lay still, unable to get back up.

Metal Sonic then turned his attention back up towards the Blue Typhoon. He had the perfect chance to tear the ship apart now his resistance was down. He spin-dashed towards the Blue Typhoon. The ship had no idea he was coming for it was too busy shooting at the Egg Dreadnought and the crew inside assumed that Sonic, Shadow and Rouge were taking care of Metal Sonic. A very grave mistake for them to make. Metal Sonic slammed straight into the hull of the Typhoon and began tearing his way through the inside of the ship, ripping apart machinery and tearing out circuitry. He even fired his lasers in both directions, front and behind, to deal extra damage to his enemy's vessel. He was Mobian sized but he had Sonic's power, speed and abilities. He would have the Blue Typhoon down in no time. And indeed so, it took him mere seconds to rip apart most of the Typhoon's vital machinery. Up in the cockpit, Tails saw with horror that the Blue Typhoon was being crippled. Damage levels appeared on the screens and showed him that they were critical. The fox knew that he and his friends had to abandon ship and fast before they were all killed in the inevitable crash. Tails, Cream, Knuckles and Amy all got out of their seats and Knuckles broke through the cockpit window just to give them a quicker escape route. He then glided down to the ground while Tails carried Amy and Cream flew after him. The Mobians all landed down on the ground beside Sonic, Shadow and Rouge and watched with despair as the Blue Typhoon fell from the sky and crashed down in a fiery wreck of debris and machinery. Their best weapon against the Egg Dreadnought had been obliterated.

"Oh no…" Sonic said, "Our ship's been destroyed!"

"Ours has too!" Lilac cried, running over to Sonic and his team, "We can't stop Eggman and Brevon now!"

"The remainders of the armies have no chance and we won't be of much use since we don't have a liable weapon to break inside now." Tails said sadly.

"But we can't just leave!" Carol protested, "What about the city?!"

"We'll just have to retreat and rethink our tactics." Torque declared, "Besides, Eggman and Brevon had just given me an idea. See the wreckages of our ships?"

He motioned to the burning wrecks of the Blue Typhoon and the Green Airship nearby.

"They'll think we're dead because of this." the Chaser declared, "Or at most, they'll probably search the wreckages to make sure we're dead. That'll slow them down enough for us to think of a new plan to stop them."

"Wow, that's a pretty smart idea Torque." Amy said approvingly.

"I agree, that's a good plan." Sonic said with a nod.

"So we run off and hide and wait for the two to come looking for us. Then what?" asked Lilac.

"The ship's hull has been weakened at least a little by our attacks." Spade noted, looking up at the Egg Dreadnought and noticing the small damages that had been done, "If we can break through somehow, we could sabotage the ship from inside."

"I hate to say it…but my brother's got a good idea too." Dail nodded.

"And since the villains will think we're dead or be on the lookout for us, we have the element of surprise on our side." Rouge noted.

"I'll be able to launch a Chaos Blast that'll penetrate that thing enough for us to get inside without them being ready for me." Shadow gloated.

"Well, looks like we've got a plan!" Sonic cried excitedly, "Let's play a little hide and seek then…"

The Mobians and Avalicians all ran off, leaving their doomed vessels to burn away into ashes. As for G.U.N. and Mayor Zao's guards, very few of them were left. Even their evasive manoeuvres hadn't saved them completely from the Egg Dreadnought's terrifying firepower. Only a handful of jeeps and flying vehicles were left. All of the robots had been destroyed in the fight with not a single one still operational except for Omega. He had survived the battle and still seemed itching to keep firing. Commander Tower and the Lead Guard were still alive and seeing that the fight had been lost, they were quick to command their remaining troops to retreat. Any surviving jeeps, airships and jets turned around and fled the battlefield, heading on back towards Shangopolis as if hoping the city would somehow protect them from this unstoppable enemy. Even Omega retreated, although he seemed very reluctant to do so. The Egg Dreadnought remained where it was, looing triumphantly over the grasslands. There were wreckages and burning vehicles littered everywhere and very few people were walking away from it all. This was a battle that had gone completely in Brevon and Eggman's favour.

As for the two, Brevon was still in the Absolution and Metal Sonic hadn't returned to base yet. The two had decided to do what Torque had expected them to do, comb the wreckages of their enemy's destroyed ships to see if their enemies were dead. The Absolution landed down at the wreckage of Dail's ship and Metal Sonic flew over the wreckage of the Blue Typhoon. Brevon activated the Absolution's scanners and scanned the entire wreckage for any signs of dead bodies, hopefully Lilac's in particular. Metal Sonic scanned the wreckage, firing scanner beams out of his optics and sweeping them over the Typhoon's ravaged remains. For both Brevon and Metal Sonic, they got the results they didn't want to receive. There were no dead bodies that were of any interest to them. Dail's airship only had the bodies of his flight crew whereas the Blue Typhoon had no dead bodies at all. This infuriated Brevon and he thumped the Absolution's control panel in annoyance.

 **"Not a single one of our enemies dead! How could they have survived our onslaughts?!"** he growled, **"They should've perished in the crash! They couldn't possibly have gotten off their ships before they crashed down!"**

Metal Sonic just turned around and flew on back up to the Egg Dreadnought, not wanting to stick around for any longer. Brevon remained where he was and he stabbed down at a button on the Absolution's control panel.

 **"Dr. Eggman, while we have won the battle, our enemies have survived."** the alien world conqueror announced, **"Me and your Metal Sonic scanned the wreckages of their ships. None of them are in the wreckages. They've clearly survived."**

"I should've expected this…" Eggman sighed loudly, "Sonic's always surviving against impossible odds…so where do you think they've got to?"

 **"The city ahead of us no doubt."** Brevon replied, **"They couldn't have run anywhere else."**

"I would suggest that we go in with the Egg Dreadnought and tear the city to pieces." the fat scientist suggested, "We might be able to kill our enemies then. But on the other hand, we have a lot of superficial damage on the hull of the ship. And Sonic has Shadow and one of my treacherous creations, E-123 Omega, with him! They both pack enough firepower to breach our hull with the damage we have!"

 **"So going in with the ship now would just give them a chance to destroy us."** Brevon deduced, **"And we cannot risk losing the Kingdom Emerald to them."**

"Not at this stage my friend…"

 **"So rather than hunt them down with the Dreadnought…"**

"We could use our allies to do it for us!"

 **"Yes…my machines and soldiers will comb the city for them…"**

"As will my creations!"

 **"We could have them bring the heroes to us…"**

"So that we may kill them ourselves!"

With such an evil plan in mind, Eggman and Brevon could hardly resist the urge to laugh manically as they pictured themselves slaughtering their hated enemies and eliminating the only resistance they had on their new world. It was a very good idea and one that was bound to work.

 **"I'll return to the Egg Dreadnought immediately doctor."** Brevon announced, **"We'll send our troops out to hunt the heroes down while we hide ourselves."**

"And once they grab our enemies, they'll bring them home to us and we can eliminate the only group of people who stand a chance of erasing our hard work!" Eggman chortled.

Brevon switched off his communicator and he grabbed the controls. The Absolution's legs retracted and it began to fly up towards the Egg Dreadnought. As it flew up though, Brevon failed to notice that an earthquake was happening down on the ground. It was much heavier than the previous two earthquakes and the rumbling was very loud. The alien warlord assumed the rumbling was thunder as he headed back to the Egg Dreadnought. But had he been down on the ground still, he'd have realized that it wasn't thunder at all. The earthquake was so violent that the ground began to crack slightly. Thin cracks spread across the grasslands as the rumbling boomed and the shaking continued. By the time the earthquake was over, the cracks were about two inches wide from beginning to end. It was a terrible sign that something was wrong…so wrong that the world was in more danger than it already was…

* * *

 _ **The bad guys have won this time but our heroes still have some fight left in them! Will they turn this around? And what's with these weird earthquakes that are happening? Is it something to worry about? Find out next time as our heroes are "On The Run"...**_


	8. Chapter 7: On the Run

**Act 2**

 _Chapter 7: On The Run_

Shangopolis was completely silent as if the entire city was holding its breath and bracing itself for something terrible to come. The streets were empty and all shops and suppliers were closed. The only signs of life around the city were the police and firemen who were trying to deal with the damages that had been done to Shangopolis during the battle with the Egg Dreadnought. Downed jets and wrecked airships lay smouldering in burning wrecks atop of smashed buildings. The whole carnage was the reason why there was nobody about in the city. They were all hiding in their homes or any building they could find and waiting until it was safe to come out again. Even the President and Mayor Zao seemed to know better than to set foot outside at this pressing time. All the surviving G.U.N. and Shang Mu troops had returned to the White House/Royal Palace fusion and had reported to their leaders what had happened. For their leader's safety, they had requested that the two evacuate the city before they could be blown to kingdom come. But both had refused.

"Surrendering now would just mean that Eggman and Brevon have won!" the president snapped.

"I don't care how crippled our forces are, I refuse to leave my post!" Zao declared.

 **5+ REFUSE**

"We will not give Eggman and Brevon the satisfaction of seeing us flee like cowards! We stand and fight no matter what!" the president announced.

"Our heroic friends are still out there my troops! With them around, there's no reason for us to be afraid!" Zao insisted.

The troops had tried to argue but their leaders refused to budge. They wanted to show the world that they weren't afraid of the two terrors that were threatening their people and nothing G.U.N. or Shang Mu's army said would change their minds. So the troops had decided to give up and just use all their resources to protect the president and mayor. Platoons of tanks from Mobius and Avalcie had been deployed and lined up in front of the palace and helicopters from both sides of the fusion world hovered above the building like a swarm of bees ready to protect their hive. New robots for either army were deployed and set up around the defensive wall too. They would not let a single Eggman robot or Brevon creation or even the Egg Dreadnought itself get anywhere near their leaders, even if the dreadnought itself had the superior firepower. Commander Tower and the Lead Shang Mu Guard were in charge of the defensive wall they had built in front of the palace and they were determined not to fail their superiors, especially since they were now better prepared for the Egg Dreadnought now. The two forces had been prepared for a search rather than a battle earlier which was why they hadn't been of much help. Now though, they were ready to start a war if necessary. Eggman and Brevon wouldn't be so victorious if they dared to show up again and attack their leaders.

This had been noticed by Sonic and Lilac, who had been curious to see what the president and Zao's response to the whole thing would be. They were well impressed at the forces that had been set up to defend the two political leaders, especially the legions of tanks that had been set up, and they knew that if the Egg Dreadnought attacked again, G.U.N. and the Shang Mu Royal Army would stand a much better chance of winning. Satisfied, the hedgehog and dragon ran back over to their friends, who were stationed in an alley-way deep in the city. The alley-way wasn't conspicuous in the slightest, making it the perfect hiding place for the heroes with its ordinary appearance and heavy shadows that shrouded most of it from the world outside. Sonic and Lilac entered the alley-way and walked over to their teams, who were all huddled up together at the back as if determined to blanket themselves in as much of the shadows as possible. They both gave a thumbs up sign to their teams.

"G.U.N and Shang Mu are definitely upping their games." Sonic announced, "They've built a big defensive wall to protect the president and Mayor Zao in case Eggman and Brevon start targeting them."

"They've got tanks, helicopters and robots galore!" Lilac exclaimed, "We may have lost our ships but with an army like that, we've got something that more than makes up for it."

"That's good news Lilac." Carol said brightly.

"Though this does beg the question of why we don't just bring the army out for another attack instead of lying in wait for Eggman and Brevon." Knuckles muttered, "We can just take them out right now!"

"True but honestly, I'd rather not sacrifice more G.U.N. or Shang Mu lives." Sonic said grimly, "Hence why we're sticking with the original plan."

"No more lives are being wasted today!" Lilac declared, "We're gonna break into that ship when the two least expect it and then we're gonna sabotage it from the inside out, thus putting an end to their tyranny and sparing any more pointless deaths."

"That's quite noble of you two to care so much about the armies of our worlds." Neera said approvingly, "The Ancient Dragon would be proud of you two for such selflessness."

"I dunno who this "Ancient Dragon" thingy is but thanks anyway." the hedgehog said graciously.

"So does everybody remember the plan?" the dragon asked curiously.

"We do Lilac." Tails said brightly, "We wait to see if Eggman and Brevon's gonna come looking for us and then we ambush them. And given the damage we've done to it, we should be able to break our way through the hull and get inside."

"And then we unleash all hell and bring the two down for good!" Spade shouted.

"No, no killing brother." Dail said firmly, putting a hand on the criminal panda's shoulder, "We're gonna arrest Eggman and Brevon and have them serve time for their crimes."

"But Dail, he killed our father remember?! He brainwashed you as well, surely you'd want Brevon dead after all that?!" Spade snapped angrily, "And let's not forget he's teamed up with Sonic's enemy to fuse our worlds together and make this one big planet for them to rule over! Why would you want them spared after something like that?!"

"Because like it or not buster, we're not the killing type." Rouge said coldly, "We're not gonna stoop to their level otherwise we're no better than they are."

"So like it or not, we're not killing either of them." Shadow growled, glaring at Spade, "I'm not entirely sold on the idea myself but I respect the wishes of my comrades. And also...Maria wouldn't want me to be a cold-blooded killer."

Spade and Shadow bother glared at each other, itching to strike out at each other. Their teeth were gritted and their eyes were narrowed. Their fists began shaking as they stared each other down. But Rouge and Dail both held the two back before they could attack each other.

"Now, now guys, let's not fight." Sonic said, waving his hands hastily as he walked up to Shadow and Spade.

"We're meant to be united against Eggman and Brevon, not each other." Lilac said firmly, "If we fight each other, they just get closer to winning."

"And we can't let them win otherwise our worlds are theirs forever..." Tails said, shuddering nervously.

"I don't want my world and Cream's world to be Eggman and Brevon's!" whimpered Milla, "I want them back to normal!"

"I know you do Milla." Lilac said softly, patting the dog's head tenderly, "Which is why we're gonna stop them and set our worlds back to normal."

"They used our world's energies to do this, so we should use them to separate them." Sonic declared, "A good Chaos Control from the Master Emerald oughta do the trick. I bet that's what did it in the first place!"

Knuckles put a hand to his chin and thought for a moment.

"Maybe so...but how does Avalice's "Kingdom Energy" thing fit into all of this then?" he wondered, "Why did they need that as well? And I'm pretty sure even the Master Emerald hasn't got the power to fuse worlds together like that..."

"Maybe they COMBINED both energies to give them the power to do such a thing." Torque suggested, "I've seen Brevon do this shtick before. He's stolen lots of energies from worlds and with some, he's combined them together to make greater energy. I bet they've fused the Kingdom Stone's power with the Master Emerald. The Kingdom Energy plus the Master Emerald's energies would be enough to do all of this easily."

"So what, do we call it the "Kingdom Emerald" now?" Amy asked, half-joking and half-being serious with her statement.

"So when we get on that ship, we have to get back the two energies and use them to separate our worlds!" Carol declared.

"I don't know Miss Carol..." Cream said quietly, suddenly looking doubtful, "Do we really need to restore our planets to normal?"

The whole gang of Mobians and Avalicians all stared at the rabbit as if she'd just announced that she had a terminal illness. Cream shrank down in her spot, suddenly feeling very nervous now all eyes were on her.

"Please don't be mad!" she whimpered, "I can explain myself!"

"You better you little brat..." Spade growled.

"Hey, don't you dare talk to Cream like that!" Amy snarled, "You do that again and there's gonna be a hammer to the head with your name on it!"

"Am I the only one who wants to see that?" Carol giggled.

Spade just folded his arms and said nothing. Hopefully he'd get the chance to knock some sense into Amy when this was over. Cream gulped and then continued.

"What I mean is, is Mobius and Avalice being combined together really that bad a thing?" the rabbit asked, "I noticed we keep acting as if this is a terrible thing that's happened but look at all the good that's come with it! We've made new friends, all of us, and because our worlds are together, we can learn lots of new things about each other and be all one big happy family together! And also, we'd stop any enemy we face if we're always united. I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot and if my opinion is a bad opinion but that's just what I'm thinking right now. Are you all mad at me now?"

The rabbit then covered her face as if expecting to hear some very violent words from her friends right now. But surprisingly, they all took in what she had said and began musing amongst each other.

"You know...the kid's got a point..." Gong murmured.

"Nothing bad's really happening because our worlds are together..." Tails thought.

"And it has been awesome meeting you and your friends Lilac." Sonic admitted.

"Same to you." Lilac agreed, "We'd never have met if this hadn't happened."

"And maybe if Mobians and Avalicians are always together, we could always be there to stop our enemies." Knuckles mused.

"I actually think the cute bunny girl's got an excellent point." Carol said, "Maybe it ISN'T so bad if our worlds are together."

"But our worlds haven't gelled together very well Carol." Amy noted, "Your cities don't mix well with ours so it doesn't look very appealing as a whole."

"We'd get used to them Amy." Carol insisted, "Wouldn't we guys?"

"I'm sure we would." Sonic agreed.

"But we're stuck in a limbo." Tails noted, "Wouldn't that be bad for our worlds?"

"Maybe not." Torque thought, "The limbo doesn't seem to be doing any damage to the worlds. But then I'd never be able to get back to the Chasers..."

"We could re-open the portals." Shadow suggested, "That way we're not stuck on just this fusion world and nothing else."

"Good point Shadow. So are we just gonna stop Brevon and Eggman but leave our worlds fused together forever?" Lilac asked.

"We'll give it some more thought before we decide I think." Sonic decided, "It's too early to decide right now."

"Plus we've got more pressing matters to think about first." Torque noted, "We can decide later. Right now, we still need to stop the two before they..."

His words were snatched away as the ground beneath his feet suddenly shuddered. Torque was so taken aback by this that he almost fell over. The Mobians and Avalicians cried out as the ground began to shake. A loud rumbling sound echoed through the sky to accompany the shaking. Even the buildings began shuddering too. The heroes stared up at them and for one horrible skin-crawling moment, they thought the buildings would suddenly topple over on top of them. The rumbling was getting louder and the shaking began to get more violent. The heroes had to press themselves against the walls in order to keep themselves from falling over. A think crack began to spread across the ground and some began to appear on the buildings as if some invisible hand was drawing them on with an invisible pencil. The rumbling then began to quieten down and the shaking began to ease. The cracks didn't get any bigger though by the time the shaking had stopped and the rumbling had silenced, they had grown about two inches in width from beginning to end. Everybody eased themselves and came away from the wall. They took a moment to get their bearings before they did anything else.

"OK...now this is NOT normal..." Sonic murmured.

"That was worse than the first one!" Lilac shrieked.

"Me and my squadron felt one when we went searching for the rest of you..." Shadow said uneasily, "And that was outside of Shangopolis!"

"This can NOT be a coincidence!" Spade exclaimed, "You said that Westopolis isn't an earthquake zone and I can definitely say from the times I've been in it that Shang Mu isn't an earthquake zone either! And yet they're both mixed up together and now we've had about two earthquakes in it!"

"And one outside of it..." Tails said, looking at Shadow worriedly.

"And they seem to be getting worse!" Gong cried, staring at the cracks on the ground and on the walls.

"What could this mean?" asked Amy, her face as white as a sheet, "Is this a side effect of our worlds being together or something?!"

"I don't know!" Tails cried helplessly, "I don't know what happens when two worlds combine together!"

"Me neither!" Torque cried, "Though I have heard some theories about what would happen and those theories are theories that I hope aren't the answer to our questions..."

"What kind of theories are they then?" asked Milla worriedly.

"One of them is that if two worlds combine together...they won't be very stable and the combined world will break apart, destroying both worlds combined to make it in the process." the Chaser explained.

"That sounds like a theory I've read in a science book once..." Tails murmured, "And given the ground's cracking and all, it's likely the case."

"So if Mobius and Avalice together equals instability...oh no..." Sonic gasped, his quills straightening in horror, "It means our worlds are gonna collapse!"

"And we're all gonna die!" Lilac shrieked, "For us, it's pretty much the end of the world! Both for Mobius and Avalice!"

The whole group shrieked with horror. If this supposed theory Torque had spoken of was true, then their worlds were in grave danger. Danger so big that not just their lives were at stake. The lives of the entire populace of Mobius and Avalice were now on the line! Cream and Milla both began sobbing in fright, prompting Amy and Lilac to run over to try and comfort them.

"I don't want my world to end!" they both howled in unison.

"Well, looks like our question's been answered for us." Sonic said coldly, "Mobius and Avalice can't stay together. Sorry to say this Lilac...but we need to separate our worlds."

"I'm actually with you on this." Lilac said, hugging Milla affectionately, "While it would be nice if our worlds could stay together forever, it's clear it's not meant to be this way. We have to undo Brevon and Eggman's work or we're all dead."

"I bet Eggman's not too happy that his handiwork is doing this since he doesn't want Mobius destroyed..." Knuckles grumbled.

"Brevon on the other hand, he'll probably like this." Carol sighed, rolling her eyes, "He hates our world after all and we did make a monkey outta him so Avalice being destroyed will make him happy."

"But with us and our Mobian friends banding together to stop him, he won't get the satisfaction." Lilac declared.

"You and me both Lilac." Sonic agreed, nodding slowly.

He then walked over to the lip of the alleyway and he peeked his head out to see if the Egg Dreadnought was coming. If it was then the trap could be sprung and Mobius and Avalice could be saved before they both fell to pieces. Unfortunately, the ship wasn't coming at all. The Egg Dreadnought was nowhere to be seen. Sonic scratched his head in thought. This wasn't Eggman's style. When he had a big whopping vessel like the Egg Dreadnought, he never hid it anywhere. He would always proudly show it off and start causing all kinds of mayhem with it. He was sure that Brevon was just the same given Lilac's descriptions of him. Why wasn't the ship flying over Shangopolis and looking for him and the others right now. Surely the two villains couldn't have been convinced they were dead? Even if they were, them being dead shouldn't have made any difference. They would at least start flying above the city and terrorizing the populace with their precious new vessel. Sonic began to feel uneasy. Maybe the plan wasn't going to be as straight forward as he had been hoping. Maybe he should've used himself as bait, trick the dreadnought into following him into the city and then his friends could ambush the ship and break into it so they could put an end to this madness already

But then Sonic suddenly spotted something. It wasn't the Egg Dreadnought as he'd been hoping but it was something Eggman related at least. He saw a few egg-shaped robots armed with lances and shields marching towards him in single file. They were orange in colour and their faces vaguely resembled the man who created them. Sonic wasn't worried at all. They were only generic Egg-Pawns, nothing serious that he should be concerned about. It made him wonder what was going through Eggman's mind right now. Why send his most pathetic robots after him and his friends? Was he even TRYING to detain them? The hedgehog shook his head, smiling snidely.

"Has Eggman given up already?" he scoffed, "Even Cheese could beat up these guys by himself!"

She emerged from inside the alley-way to see the oncoming Egg-Pawns with Sonic. She sneered at their simple designs and unthreatening appearances. Even Lord Brevon's weakest robots or soldiers looked more menacing then these jokers did! Regardless, she knew that they could easily menace any innocents with those lances of theirs so they had to be destroyed. Sonic and Lilac both boosted towards the Egg-Pawns and destroyed the entire squadron in a mere matter of seconds with just a spin-dash and a Dragon-Boost each. The Egg-Pawns never stood a chance as they were torn apart by the hedgehog and dragon. All that was left of them now was a bunch of spare parts and broken shields. Whooping, the two heroes high-fived each other.

"You're a natural Lilac!" Sonic complimented, "You made those Egg-Pawns look like utter chumps just like I did!"

"Thanks! You're pretty awesome yourself!" Lilac praised, "Seems we're a one-robot wrecking crew you and me!"

"You know, since we have so much in common, I'm beginning to wonder if you're like my long-lost sister or something." the hedgehog chuckled.

"Ha, ha, ha! That's funny, I'm beginning to think you're a male, hedgehog version of me!" the dragon laughed.

The two shared a laugh together before turning around to head off back to their hiding place. But then suddenly, a new batch of robots came rushing in onto the scene and the two recoiled as they appeared. They looked like flying red scallops with opening "jaw" sections that could fire deadly laser shots. There was quite a few of them and they all looked ready to kill. Lilac recognized the designs instantly.

"They're some of Brevon's machines…" she muttered, "Like your Eggman, Brevon likes robots too and most of his army is either machine or mutant."

"These guys don't look so tough." Sonic scoffed, "But given I'm new to these kinds of machines, I can't just assume they'll be as easy to take out as an Egg-Pawn."

"They're quite tough but we'll manage." Lilac insisted, "Let's take them down before they hurt anybody!"

Sonic nodded and he quickly spin-dashed straight up towards the scallop bots. Lilac jumped into the air and twirled around in a Dragon-Cyclone attack. The scallop bots began to open fire but their shots missed as their opponents flew through the air and smashed straight through them, tearing them to pieces in a matter of seconds. Sonic cleaved right through them and Lilac churned her way through them with her twirling tendrils. The clam bots were destroyed and reduced to chunks of metal and circuitry almost as quickly as the Egg-Pawns were earlier. Sonic and Lilac landed and they looked over their shoulders to see their handiwork. They both smiled, pleased to have taken out another batch of robots before they could've hurt anybody.

"All too easy." Sonic gloated, "But somehow, I have a feeling that Eggman and Brevon won't stop at that."

"I know Brevon won't…" Lilac said grimly, "He's got far more robots than just those guys, and a lot of them are much more menacing and tough."

"Just like Eggman, he's got robots that are more menacing than the pawns." the Mobian replied, "I wonder…"

"If those guys are just the starters and…" the Avalician wondered.

Then suddenly, the two heroes found themselves up against much bigger robots as another batch of machines suddenly marched in to view and spotted them. There were Eggman and Brevon robots both together this time. And these robots were far more menacing looking than the Egg-Pawns and scallop bots that they had just taken out a moment ago. The Eggman robots looked like bigger versions of Egg-Pawns with a dark colour scheme, a bulkier build, stronger arm and a giant spiked mallet that they used as weapons. The Brevon robots looked somewhat frog-like with two huge legs and giant mouths that seemed to take up a majority of their design. They had small red optics that added to their frog-like appearance. Sonic and Lilac stepped back in surprise as they saw them coming.

"Knew it! It's the old "send in the drones and then send in the REAL threats" tactic!" Sonic muttered.

"I bet Eggman and Brevon are trying to wear us down so we'll be easy picking for the two…" Lilac sighed.

"Well that's not happening on MY watch!" Sonic declared.

"Let's take them out!" Lilac cried.

The two heroes charged towards the squadron of robots but before they could attack, one of the frog bots opened up its large, metallic mouth and unleashed a volley of green energy spheres that shot out like bullets and hit the two anthro-animals, throwing them off their feet and back towards the alley-way. They both hit the ground, grunting in pain as they came to a stop. One of the large Egg Pawns came stomping towards the two and it raised its huge hammer up, aiming to smash the hedgehog and dragon and flatten them into pancakes on the tarmac. It nearly did as it swung the hammer down. Sonic and Lilac managed to dodge with just seconds to spare. The hammer slammed down onto the tarmac, cracking it and leaving a hammer shaped imprint where it had hit. The smash had been so loud that Sonic and Lilac's teams had heard it and had come out to see what was happening. They were shocked to see that it wasn't the Egg Dreadnought as they had been hoping, but a bunch of robots from Eggman and Brevon's sides. They watched as a frog-bot fired more energy spheres at Sonic and Lilac, nearly hitting them a second time but missing as the two dodged their attacks. The Mobians and Avalicians decided to run in and help them defeat the robots so they could get back to their plan.

Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Shadow and Rouge ran towards the big Egg-Pawns while Carol, Milla, Torque, Neera, Gong, Spade and Dail ran over to the frog bots. Sonic and Lilac both struck a couple of Egg Pawns and frog bots each but their toughened hides made them a bit harder to destroy than any usual robot the two villains had in their army. They leapt backwards, ready to attack again but as they were about to spring into action, their friends ran in to join the fight. Tails flew into the air and kick-slammed one of the Egg-Pawns in the face, causing it to lean backwards and wobble as it fought to keep its balance. Knuckles bolted towards the wobbling robot and he uppercut it, knocking it down onto its back and leaving it vulnerable to attack. Sonic smirked as he, Tails and Knuckles all charged in together to destroy it. Sonic spin-dashed it, Tails tail-whipped it and Knuckles punched it. Their attacks tore away at the tough armour of the Egg Pawn before it was finally put out of action and reduced to a scrap pile by the attacking trio.

A frog bot fired green energy spheres at Lilac but the dragon jumped up into the air to dodge its attack. She then curled into a ball and Dragon-Boosted straight into the robot, hitting it between the optics and knocking it backwards. Carol and Milla ran in to grab a piece of the action with Carol clawing at it and Milla firing energy beams at it from her shield. The frog bot tried to fight back but the combined efforts of the cat and dog were too much for it to overcome. Carol kicked it in one of its legs, causing it to topple onto his side and leaving it very vulnerable as Lilac came in with a Dragon-Cyclone attack. She cleaved through the robot with her tendrils and her canine and feline companions dished out some extra damage to finish the robot off once and for all. In a matter of moments, the frog bot was nothing but a pile of parts on the tarmac.

Another Egg-Pawn raised its hammer and brought it crashing down onto the tarmac, intending to hit Amy and Cream but it missed completely as the two girls dodged its attack. Amy landed on top of the pawn's hammer and swung her own hammer straight up into the pawn's face. She hit it so hard that she nearly took its head off. The robot staggered backwards, leaving its own hammer down where it was and as it regained its balance, Amy pounced on it and slammed her Piko-Piko Hammer down onto its head. Despite being smaller than its own weapon, the Egg-Pawn was still fazed by how heavy the hammer blow from Amy was. Cream then flew towards the robot's legs and kicked it in the knees, causing it to stumble and fall over flat on its face. Now it was down, Amy and Cream could take it out easily. The two girls began throwing hammer blows and kicks at the Egg Pawn's head until the head itself came clean off and the robot was functional no more. Delighted, Amy and Cream high-fived one another for their good work.

Torque, Neera and Gong were teaming up together to face another frog bot. However, there were two frog bots together and both ready to attack so Spade and Dail decided to help out the trio by taking out the second bot while the Chaser and pandas fought the first. The first frog bot opened its mouth and fired another swarm of green energy spheres out at Torque, Gong and Neera. The spheres rushed towards their targets but Gong stopped a single one of them from hitting him or his team-mates by holding up his enormous shield. Torque and Neera stood behind him as Gong defended them from the robot's attack. The spheres knocked against the shield but did no damage whatsoever. Torque then leapt out from behind Gong and shot at the frog bot's legs with his laser pistol. The Chaser was a very good shot and he hit the frog bot's legs without missing once. The robot tumbled over and landed with a clang on the ground as its legs were taken out from underneath it by the shots. The moment the robot hit the ground, Neera ran over to it and swiped her sceptre through the air. This motion sent an icy boomerang spinning towards the robot like a spinning blade scything through the air. The boomerang hit the robot and as soon as it touched the amphibious-looking machine, it was encased from head to toe in solid ice. The robot was completely frozen, unable to move and helpless as Gong thundered towards it like a charging Triceratops. He rammed straight through the frozen robot, shattering it to pieces like a broken mirror.

Spade and Dail had no trouble against their own frog bot. They both moved fast around the robot, not giving it any opportunity to attack or shoot at them. The frog bot followed them helplessly, trying to land a good blow but missing every time due to how fast the panda siblings could run. Then suddenly, Spade leapt at the mechanical minion and kick-slammed it in the top of its head, taking it off its feet and knocking it down on its back. He then drew out some cards and launched them in missile like fashion, bombarding the frog-bot and causing heavy damage to it as they struck. The frog bot was now badly damaged and barely able to stand up again. Dail ran in to finish the job, forcing the frog-bot's mouth open and then slamming down a chunk of metal that had come from a destroyed Egg-Pawn into it. The frog bot was unable to attack now its mouth was blocked. The king then picked up a lance that was lying nearby after the Egg Pawns had been destroyed earlier and he stabbed the pawn in the torso section, damaging it severely and bringing it down once and for all. The non-functional robot collapsed onto its side, dead as a doornail with the lance protruding from its chest. Dail and Spade smirked, pleased to be spiting their father's killer by doing this.

Knuckles, Shadow and Rouge were fighting together against another Egg-Pawn with a giant hammer. The spike-fisted echidna ran towards the heavyweight machine like a boxer ready to throw the killer punch that would take his opponent out. He clenched his fists and he threw the punch straight into the robot's torso area. The punch didn't do any damage but it did cause the robot to stumble backwards, reeling from the punch. As it stumbled, Shadow spin-dashed the robot in the back of its legs, tripping it up and causing it to land down heavily onto its back. The robot began to flail helplessly, trying desperately to pick itself up but struggling due to its shape. The Egg-Pawn design made getting back up rather tricky, a design flaw that was proving to be very fatal for the robots. Seizing her chance, Rouge spiralled towards the robot in a screw-kick manoeuvre, aiming straight for the head. She struck the head like a killer spinning-top and her attack left it heavily dented and damaged. Most of the damage was done to the face of the Egg Pawn, especially in the middle. Its optics were cracked heavily, rendering it unable to see properly.

The Egg Pawn managed to pick itself up at long last but with its impaired vision, it couldn't see very well and thus, had a hard time picking out its opponents. It swung its hammer around wildly in the vain hope of hitting somebody. It was missing completely for Knuckles, Shadow and Rouge were nowhere near the robot. Smirking, they all came in for the kill. Shadow spin-dashed the robot, knocking it down onto its side and Knuckles pile-dived it in the face, nearly taking its head off in the process. Rouge screw-kicked the pawn's arm, knocking the hammer out of its hand and rendering it defenceless. Then the three Mobians all attacked the pawn together, tearing through its head and killing it instantly. The Egg Pawn's body went completely limp and it lay on its back, defeated and non-functional. Shadow smirked triumphantly while Knuckles and Rouge whooped with joy.

But despite the best efforts of the Mobians and Avalicians, their triumphant streak was not to last. With the effects of their defeat at Brevon and Eggman's hands earlier still lingering over them and the constant fighting against the robots, the heroes were all slowly but surely beginning to tire. It wasn't helped how there were so many robots and they weren't easy to destroy given their armoured hides and their powerful weaponry making them tough opponents. After a few minutes of fighting, the robot horde was beginning to dwindle in numbers but the heroes were beginning to get exhausted. Even Sonic and Lilac, who were notoriously endurable, were beginning to pant and they had to take a moment to catch their breath. Sonic bent over with his hands on his tights and panted heavily. Lilac wiped her forehead as she stopped for a breather.

"Whew…those robots are giving us one heck of a work out!" Lilac gasped.

"I'll say, I mean even I'M exhausted!" Sonic cried, "At least we're winning…"

"Yeah, if any more robots come here then we're all mincemeat!" Carol exclaimed, wiping her forehead.

"Yeah…we should rest for a moment." Tails said, preparing to sit down to have a minute to regain his energy, "We could all do with one right now."

"Um…guys? I don't think Eggman and Brevon are in the mood for giving us a breather…" Torque said gravely, pointing ahead of him with a trembling hand.

The Mobians and Avalicians looked in the Chaser's direction, almost dreading what they were about to see. What they saw was one of the last things they had wanted to see. Another horde of robots was coming towards them and this horde was bigger than the previous ones. There were a bigger variety of robots in the oncoming army too. There were Egg Pawns both small and big and robo-scallops and robo-frogs just like what they'd been fighting against earlier but there were also Egg Flappers, small flying machines with guns underneath and wings on either side and a platoon of one-eyed alien soldiers encased in mech-suits and carrying heavy laser pistols that could dish out a lot of damage. But the worst part of the platoon is that the robots weren't going at it alone this time. The heroes saw that the drones had the best back-up they could possibly have…their master's sidekicks. Serpentine and Syntax were leading Brevon's troops while Metal Sonic, Orbot and Cubot were leading Eggman's troops. Serpentine and Syntax were in their mech-suits that they had used in their mission to steal the Master Emerald earlier, fully repaired from said mission and ready for battle. Metal Sonic flew above the Eggman robots, clearly the one in charge of the whole platoon while Orbot and Cubot trailed behind them in a huge stag-beetle shaped mech that had huge pincers and a tough exterior.

It was clear that Brevon and Eggman weren't playing around anymore. They wanted the heroes dead and this enormous crowd of machines and aliens was enough to convince the two groups that their plan was probably not going to work after all. Eggman and Brevon must've seen it coming and thus, had relied on their forces to take them out rather than the Egg Dreadnought. Neither Mobian nor Avalician could've expected their respective enemies to be this pragmatic. And their under-estimation of their enemies was going to lead to their defeat and possible deaths at this rate.

"OK, now they're just adding insult to injury!" Amy exclaimed, "We can't take all of those guys on while we're in this state! Especially Metal Sonic and Brevon's two sidekicks!"

"I hate to say it my friends…" Gong said glumly, "But we're gonna have to retreat. We can't possibly win this battle without being overwhelmed."

"We are NOT running away!" Sonic snapped angrily, "Do you realize what'll happen if we just flee like cowards?!"

"And do YOU realize what'll happen if we keep fighting like this?!" retorted Lilac, "We're exhausted Sonic! There's too many robots out there and if we keep fighting like this, we're gonna get ourselves killed! I hate to agree with Gong on this but retreating is the best idea we have at this moment!"

"We're not fleeing Lilac, we're gonna stay and fight otherwise Eggman and Brevon's machines are gonna tear this city apart!" the hedgehog ranted.

"We're retreating!" the dragon yelled.

"Fighting!"

"Retreating!"

"FIGHTING!"

"RETREATING!"

Their friends watched them arguing, worried on how it would end. Would they attack each other? Would they split up and ruin the relationship between their worlds? Whatever the outcome, they hoped that it wasn't going to be an unpleasant one.

"Am I the only one hoping those two beat the crap outta each other?" Spade snickered unhelpfully, amused by the bickering hedgehog and dragon.

"Shut up Spade…" Rouge sighed disgustedly.

"You're so stubborn and hot-headed!" Sonic yelled at Lilac.

"Well I guess that proves it, maybe I AM a dragon version of you!" Lilac retorted, "But unlike you, I have common sense! Me and my friends are falling back but if you wanna be an idiot and get yourself killed Sonic then be my guest!"

Sonic recoiled, surprised at the dragon's reaction to what he had said. He hadn't thought that the dragon would've said something like that to him, not when she was usually so nice and friendly. The hedgehog wanted to argue some more but he could see that all he and Lilac were doing was wasting time. Also, Sonic didn't like it when he upset his friends. He wasn't happy that he had made Lilac so angry and he could see that the dragon seemed to be regretting what she had said. Her face had softened and she was looking down at her feet. Sonic walked up to Lilac and put a hand on her shoulder. The dragon looked up at the hedgehog, noticing that his expression had softened.

"You're right. We're getting nowhere just standing and arguing like this." Sonic said softly, "We've gotta fall back and get a moment to rest. Then we can take the robots down. Sorry for making you mad Lilac."

"It's OK Sonic." Lilac said, smiling at the hedgehog, "As I said, I wouldn't normally be the one to retreat either. I understand perfectly how you feel. But it's better to live to fight another day than throw yourself into your own grave. That was a lesson I learned…indeed the hard way…" she added, thinking back to the horrors that she'd experienced at Brevon's hands.

"Good point." Sonic nodded, "OK then everybody, as much as I hate to say it…we've gotta run for it." he announced, addressing everybody, We'll find somewhere safe for us to rest and then we can get back into the battle!"

"Now THAT is a plan!" Carol whooped.

"You all go on ahead." Shadow ordered, "I'll slow down the robots…and maybe even shorten their numbers."

"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Milla worriedly.

"Don't worry little dog, I know what I'm doing." the artificially created hedgehog said curtly.

"And we know what you're up to as well…" Sonic said with a wink.

"OK then teams, let's fall back while Shadow keeps our enemies occupied!" Torque cried.

The Mobians and Avalicians all sprinted off, charging down the street as fast as they could all run, leaving Shadow behind to deal with the oncoming army. The black hedgehog stood where he was, watching with a confident smirk on his face as Eggman and Brevon robots came marching towards him. The platoon seemed surprised to see that they were only against one Mobian instead of all of them. They had been expecting the whole team of heroes instead of just Shadow. Serpentine just shrugged his shoulders and saw this as easy picking. Maybe even easier than fighting off Lilac and friends. Orbot and Cubot weren't so sure for they knew how dangerous Shadow could be so they decided to remain alert. They even told Metal Sonic to be cautious for Shadow was a tough match for even him. The robots all advanced towards Shadow, their weapons primed and ready to fire. But this was just what the hedgehog had wanted them to do. He smirked, pleased to see that the robots had fallen for his trap, and he unclipped his inhibitor rings. They fell down onto the ground at his feet with a clatter. After he had removed them, he began to tense up as red energy began to build up around him. It was as if he was about to explode, an organic atom-bomb about to go off and destroy everything. Orbot and Cubot yelped in fright. They knew what Shadow was planning to do. Eggman had told them everything they needed to know about Sonic's friends.

"Fall back everybody!" Orbot exclaimed, "Shadow's about to use a Chaos Blast!"

"What's a Chaos Blast?" asked Serpentine, sounding annoyed that they had to retreat.

"We haven't got time to explain, just fall back!" Orbot yelled, "Or you'll be obliterated!"

Serpentine looked a little doubtful. But he saw the energy building up around Shadow and he could see that Orbot wasn't kidding around. The hedgehog looked as if he was about to unleash all hell on them all and the cyber-snake didn't want to find out what it was like to be a victim of his wrath. Serpentine and Syntax turned around and ran off, hoping to clear as much distance between them and Shadow was possible. Orbot, Cubot and Metal Sonic followed them, fleeing quickly so the Ultimate Lifeform wouldn't destroy them. The robot drones began to run after their leaders but not all of them managed to get away quickly enough. Shadow thrust his arms aside and unleashed an explosion of energy that tore through the road and rampaged its way towards the helpless robots that tried to escape them. The Chaos Blast struck many of the robots, obliterating them in seconds and reducing them to spare parts. The chaotic explosion of raw energy tore up chunks of tarmac on the road and threw any nearby cars into the air as if they were mere toys rather than functional machines. The flying cars crashed down onto any robots that were lucky enough to be out of range from the Chaos Blast, flattening them to the ground like a metallic pancake. The whole Chaos Blast managed to wipe out half of the entire army Metal Sonic, Orbot, Cubot, Serpentine and Syntax had been leading. All that was left of the destroyed robots were nothing but piles of metal and broken pieces.

The five leaders turned around to see the damages that had been done. All they could see were mangled robot bodies and Shadow slumping on his hands and knees and gasping for breath. Serpentine's jaw dropped, the cyber-snake for once unable to speak. He could hardly believe what he had seen. Syntax observed the entire scene with subtle interest, taking in everything that had happened.

"It would appear the black and red hedgehog has the ability to emit huge energy attacks." she deduced.

"You better believe it Shelia!" Cubot exclaimed, now speaking in an Australian accented voice that made him sound like a mechanical Steve Irwin, "That Chaos Blast is not to be trifled with!"

"But it seems to tire him out!" Serpentine exclaimed excitedly, "We can get him while he's down!"

"No chance…" Orbot said sadly, "We're too far away to stop him putting his inhibitor rings back on. He'll have them back on and powered up again before we can reach him."

And just as Orbot had predicted, Shadow did just that. He grabbed his inhibitor rings and he clipped them back onto his wrists. Then he turned around and skated away on his jet shoes, leaving the remaining army to figure out what to do next. It didn't take them long to decide. Serpentine barked at his remaining troops.

"Chase after him! He might lead us to the others!" he yelled.

"You all do the same mates!" Cubot ordered, addressing the Eggman robots, "Let's tie them kangaroos down at last!"

The robots and aliens all obeyed and they began to run after Shadow as if forgetting the carnage he had caused earlier. Serpentine, Syntax, Metal Sonic, Orbot and Cubot all chased after him too, eager to catch up to the speedy hedgehog and see if he would lead them all to the rest of his gang so they could take them all out and put an end to the only threats to their master's rule over the fusion world…

* * *

Meanwhile, the Mobians and Avalicians had found a good place to settle down and regain their strength at last. They had run through much of Shangopolis and had come to an alley way that was much bigger than the first one they'd been hiding in earlier. The alleyway also had many routes to take, making it easier to hide themselves and make them hard to find. They were hiding behind a building that had another building directly behind it and a wall at the end of the alley, making it the perfect place to hide. Any robot could glance down the entrance to the alleyway and assume there was nothing there when really; their enemies were hiding just literally around the corner. If any robot or alien did dare to venture through the alleyway, it would be taken out instantly. Now they had a place to rest, the heroes all slumped down on the floor and sighed with relief.

"Whew, nobody will find us here." Sonic said brightly.

"This place could be the perfect ambush zone as well as a place of recuperation." Lilac said approvingly.

"I'll say. We could take any of those goons by surprise, all of us!" Carol crowed, "And they'll NEVER see it coming!"

"I like that idea." Rouge said, smiling, "Ambushing is one of my strongest points. This is my kind of plan."

"We all know that." Knuckles said casually, "So um…anyone other than me confused at the fact Eggman and Brevon are sending their cronies to the dirty work for them?"

"I'm wondering that too Knuckles…" Torque admitted, "I mean Brevon has done this before, many times in fact, but he wouldn't usually do this if he has a big ship ready to blow us all sky-high. I have a feeling something's up…"

"Do you think they know what we're planning?" Milla asked.

"Possibly." Tails nodded, "Maybe they guessed what we're up to and thus, they're not coming at us with the Egg Dreadnought so that we can't cause any damage or get the Kingdom Emerald from them."

"And that'll explain the robots and aliens they're sending after us…" Amy sighed, "They're trying to wear us down so we'll be easy picking for them. What cowards they are!"

"Cowardly…but clever of them." Dail said grimly, "That Brevon is a man of brains as well as brawn after all…"

"And Eggman is like that sometimes too." Cream said, "He can be very smart and tricky."

"Just our luck to be against two very smart and powerful villains isn't it?" Lilac sighed, "But that doesn't matter. We're still gonna save our worlds before they tear each other apart!"

"I'm with Lilac on this one!" Sonic declared, "Eggman and Brevon can do what they please, they'll not stop us from saving our worlds!"

Then suddenly, as if to challenge what the two had just said, another earthquake began to tremble. It was so sudden and so out of the blue that the heroes were nearly thrown off their feet. They all cried out as the earthquake caused the ground to shake violently and a loud rumble thundered in their ears. It really did feel as if the world was literally trying to tear itself apart. Or in this case, their worlds were trying to tear each other apart. The earthquake was much more violent than the first one that had happened though. The shaking was so bad that the heroes ended up falling over with a heavy bump onto the floor. Despite being sat down now, it still felt as if the shaking was too much to bear for the Mobians and Avalicians. Then suddenly, a terrible sound made them all jump and their blood run cold. A huge crack began to open up in the floor, spreading straight down the middle like some kind of paranormal opening to another world. The crack wasn't just in the floor though. The buildings nearby, shaken about violently by the earthquake, were beginning to crack too. The heroes all stood up, trying their best to keep on their feet, and they watched as the cracks grew bigger and bigger. The sight was very unpleasant and very unnerving. It was like watching the world destroy itself. They had to get out of the alleyway and fast before the buildings came down on top of them.

"Everybody run!" Sonic shrieked.

The heroes all sprinted down the alley, keen to get out as fast as possible. But then suddenly, the crack in the floor widened and Carol suddenly slipped and fell down it, squealing in surprise as the crack swallowed her up. She managed to grab onto the edge before she could disappear down it. The wildcat was terrified. What if she let go? She'd be gone forever. She tried to pull herself back up but the walls of the crack were too smooth to get a good grip on. Carol couldn't hold on forever, she had to get out and fast.

"Help me!" she whimpered.

Knuckles, who was nearer to Carol than anybody else, turned and ran towards the distressed feline. He saw Carol trying to get out of the crack and held down his hand. He didn't want any Avalicians to be lost, not while their worlds were at stake.

"Grab on, I'll pull you out!" he yelled.

Carol nodded and she reached up with one hand to grab Knuckles's hand. Luckily, she was able to grab it and Knuckles quickly pulled her up and out of the crack. The wildcat panted and gasped, relieved to be safe again. She looked up at Knuckles and smiled at her new friend.

"Thank you so much Spiky!" she exclaimed.

"Don't mention it." the echidna said casually, "Come on, let's go!"

Carol nodded and she and Knuckles ran on after their friends just as some of the walls of the buildings began to crack heavily and break away. They broke down into slabs of concrete and steel and crashed down onto the floor, creating a pile-up in the alleyway. The two teams of heroes had almost exited their hiding place, the lip of the alleyway just visible up ahead as they ran. But it looked as if one of them wasn't going to make it. Huge chunks of wall broke away from one of the nearby buildings and rained down onto the ground below. Cream, who was lagging behind the others, was directly beneath where they were falling. She looked up and let out a scream of terror as the huge slabs came falling down towards her. She would be squashed flat if they landed on her. The rabbit was petrified with fear, unable to move as death came falling towards her. But then suddenly, General Gong turned and ran back towards the little girl and he threw his shield at the concrete slab. The shield hit the debris and knocked it away from Cream, saving her from being flattened. The little girl looked up and realized that she had just been saved. She turned and saw Gong, who was running up towards her and he quickly scooped her up like a father panda saving his cub from a predator.

"Oh thank you so much Mr. Gong!" Cream said, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome little bunny girl!" Gong said cheerfully, "Couldn't let my new Mobian buddies lose their friend now could I?"

Graciously, Cream hugged Gong in thanks as the panda carried her out of the alleyway. The rest of the team had already made it out with still a few left to go. Unfortunately, just as Tails and Torque were about to get out, a huge concrete slab fell onto Tails's tails and stopped him dead in his tracks. The fox howled in agony as his tails were trapped underneath the slab. Torque nearly got out but he ended up tripping over a rock and falling flat onto his face. He winced in pain as his foot throbbed heavily. Tails tried to free himself while the Chaser tried to pick himself up. But the slab was too heavy for Tails to move and Torque's foot hurt him too much to walk. They were both stuck and in grave danger. Sonic and Lilac gasped in horror as they saw their friends were in trouble. Another chunk of building came falling down towards Tails and Torque, threatening to crush them both. Lilac and Sonic both sped back into the alleyway to help their friends. Lilac helped Torque onto his feet and carried him out while Sonic spin-dashed the rock trapping Tails to pieces and freed him. Tails and Sonic both quickly ran out of the alleyway just as a giant slab of concrete smashed down where the fox had been trapped just seconds before with a bone-crushing smash. Lilac and Torque both exited the alleyway, relieved to be out in time and they both gasped for breath.

The buildings in the alleyway then suddenly leaned to one side and crashed into each other, destroying each other and reducing the establishments to piles of rubble. It was like watching a demolition scene, only with the buildings destroying each other instead of cranes with wrecking balls doing the job. The heroes watched as an awesome yet terrifying scene carried out in front of them. The buildings crashed down onto the ground, nothing more than piles of debris, sorry remainders of what they once were. The cracks in the ground had expanded out of the alleyway too, almost like they had been following the heroes but just before things could get worse, the earthquake suddenly stopped. The rumbling silenced and the shaking stopped. To the heroes, it felt as if the world had realized it had done too much damage and was stopping before it got any worse. But they had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before another one happened. For now, they had to make the most of the silence and the clam they were in now before another one happened. The moment the earthquake silenced, Torque turned to Lilac and hugged her.

"You…you saved my life!" he gasped.

"Well of course I did!" Lilac said, hugging him back, "I couldn't let you die Torque! You're a great friend and I'd be devastated if I lost you!"

"And I'm forever grateful to you Lilac. Thank you." Torque said happily.

Lilac smiled, pleased to have saved Torque's life. As for Sonic and Tails, Sonic looked his best friend over, checking him for injuries.

"You OK bud?" he asked.

"My tails ache but I'll be fine…" the fox said, massaging his twin tails, "Thank you for saving my life Sonic."

"No problem!" Sonic said kindly, "I'd never be the same again if you were killed big guy. You're my best friend and I don't ever wanna lose you."

"Just like I don't wanna lose you either." Tails said, hugging Sonic gratefully for his rescue, "Thank you again buddy."

Sonic hugged his best friend back, pleased that the twin-tailed fox was safe.

"Well, that earthquake was a killer!" Carol exclaimed.

"I thought we were done for in there!" Amy shrieked, "Thank freaking goodness we made it too!"

"That theory of Torque's is now becoming likelier and likelier by the second…" Neera said grimly, "It must be our worlds falling apart due to being unstable together. Nothing else could be doing this."

"All the more reason we should kill the bastards!" Spade snarled, thumping his fists together, "They're gonna kill our worlds at this rate and I don't know about you losers but I'm not interested in dying today!"

"Neither of us are buster." Rouge muttered, glaring at Spade "We've gotta get that Kingdom Emerald from Eggman and Brevon and separate our worlds now before the apocalypse happens…"

"And since Eggman and Brevon ain't coming to us, I think we should go to them!" Sonic yelled, "We should run over to the Egg Dreadnought, get onboard and get that emerald so we can fix this whole mess!"

"I'm totally in on that plan!" Lilac agreed, "We can't afford to wait any longer, we have to act now before our worlds tear each other apart!"

But before anybody could go anywhere, they were met up with by a familiar face. It was Shadow the Hedgehog, returning from his fight against the two armies that had been hunting the heroes down. He skated towards them and he skidded to a halt, gobsmacked at the sight he was now looking at. There was a pile of rubble where buildings both Westopolis and Shang Mu had once stood and the ground was heavily cracked. It seemed he'd missed out on something.

"What the hell happened here?!" he exclaimed.

"Another earthquake." Lilac replied, "Didn't you feel it or something Shadow?"

"I did but, I didn't think it was THAT bad when I felt it!" Shadow cried, "Guess I was wrong…"

"Very wrong dark boy." Carol agreed, "So how's Eggman and Brevon's forces?"

"Did the ol' Chaos Blast do the trick?" asked Sonic.

"I managed to take down about half of their army." the black hedgehog replied, "The other half will likely be after us but if we're lucky, we can avoid them."

"Good, because we need to get a move on and fast!" Dail cried.

"We're going over to the Egg Dreadnought to get the Kingdom Emerald." Tails announced, "And once we have it, then…"

Before he could finish his sentence though, a hail fire of laser shots suddenly shot out from nowhere and came flying towards the heroes…

* * *

 _ **Oh lord...our heroes have been persued! Can they escape the forces of Eggman and Brevon? Or are they pretty much dead? Find out next time as things take a terrifying turn for the worst...**_


	9. Chapter 8: Heroes Turned Hunters

**Act 2**

 _Chapter 8: Heroes Turned Hunters_

Sonic, Lilac and their teams only just had enough time to jump backwards and avoid the laser shots before any of them could hit home. Even then, they were very close to actually being hit as they avoided the attacks. Sonic and Lilac had managed to dodge completely due to their great speeds whereas the others had dodged by centimetres, just feeling the heat of the shots against their feet as they avoided them. None of the heroes were at all surprised at what they were being shot at by as they looked ahead and saw what was attacking them. It was the remaining half of the army that had come to intercept them earlier. And to their bad luck, it was the remaining half that also had Metal Sonic, Orbot and Cubot's beetle mech, known as the Egg Beetle, and Serpentine and Syntax in their mechs. The remaining Egg-Pawns, Flappers, robo-scallops, robo-frogs and alien soldiers would've been fine for the two teams to fight against as they would be less hard work but fighting against them plus Eggman and Brevon's right hand-men in giant mechs would be much, much harder, especially since they were all still worn out from their earlier battles and the whole chaos with the earthquakes they had narrowly survived earlier. The whole army began shooting at the heroes again but Milla and Gong stood in front of the group to defend them from the attacks with their shields. Milla held up an energy shield and Gong held up his own shield to take the blows. As the army attacked, Spade glared at Shadow as if the fact they were now dealing with the very threat they had been trying to hide from so they could rest up and get back into the battle was all his fault.

"Nice going dumbass!" Spade snapped, "You led those jokers right to us!"

"You say that as if I knew they would follow me!" Shadow snapped angrily, "I didn't think they'd even see me flee after I Chaos Blasted them away!"

"See what your assuming did then? Put us all in danger again!" the panda retorted, "Oh and you did a "great" job on taking care of Brevon and Eggman's forces didn't you?! You didn't even destroy their henchmen so now we've got the worst of the worst to deal with now! Congratulations Shadow the Fail-Hog!"

"You better watch your tone you piece of filth before I Chaos Blast you to the moon!" the black hedgehog snarled.

"I'd like to see you try…"

"Don't say I didn't warn you…"

"That is enough!" Dail yelled angrily, stepping in-between Shadow and Spade to separate them, "This bickering isn't gonna do us any favours whatsoever!"

"The royal panda's right you know." Sonic said, "Me and Lilac didn't do anybody any favours by arguing so you two should know better."

"We have to stick together if we have any chance of winning!" Lilac cried, "True Shadow may have unintentionally led the remainder of the army right to us but that's no reason to get mad at him. It wasn't his fault."

"Indeed it isn't." Tails put in, "At least Shadow's made our opposition a lot smaller so we have a better chance of winning this time. That's a plus."

Shadow and Spade growled at each other, clearly intending to carry on the fight and beat the living daylights out of each other. But they both knew that it would ultimately be moot to do so. They wouldn't save their worlds if they bickered against each other and gave Eggman and Brevon a bigger chance of winning. As reluctant as they were, they would work together for now. Sighing, they both turned away from each other, putting an end to their fight.

"That's better." Dail muttered, "So, anybody got any ideas?"

"Right about now, I think just fight these guys off and force one of them into leading us to the Egg Dreadnought's the best idea we have." Sonic suggested, "I know Orbot and Cubot are easy to crack so they'll tell us easily."

"And with half the army down, we might have a chance of making it through this one alive." Lilac declared, "Let's give it a shot! It's a risk we're gonna have to take for the sake of our worlds!"

But before anybody could make a move of any kind against the army, Milla and Gong were suddenly thrown backwards as if they had been hit by a giant, invisible fist and sent crashing into the heroes, knocking them down like a train of dominoes. Due to how large Gong was, he knocked down several of the team members as he hit them. To them, it was like being hit by a giant furry bowling ball. He groaned as he picked himself up and quickly saw to helping anybody he had knocked over back onto their feet. Milla on the other hand had only knocked Sonic and Lilac over and once they stood up, they quickly helped the bedraggled dog back onto her feet. The constant shooting from the robots and aliens ahead had been too great for her and Gong to handle and now they had been blasted backwards by the combined hail fire of lasers. They had done well to last this long protecting their friends with their defences before being sent flying backwards by the attacks. The dog and panda looked as if they weren't fit to carry on for a while and needed to rest for a minute. But now was not a good time to rest. They had to carry on or face a horrible death at the hands of their enemies. The two groups of heroes were ready to fight back against the two armies they were up against. They all took up battle-ready stances and prepared to attack. This was a fight where they were not going to give up, no matter what their status was. They would carry the battle out even if they were on death's door at this point in time.

Serpentine, Syntax and Metal Sonic advanced towards the horde of anthro-animals ahead of them with Metal Sonic hovering just above the ground and the cyber-snake and robo henchwoman just behind him in their dog-like and scorpion-like battle mechs. Orbot and Cubot tailed closely behind in the Egg Beetle, looking eager to get their mech's pincers around somebody. Sonic and Lilac narrowed their eyes at the four machines advancing their way. They were the ones they had to deal with first. They were the ones that would give them the hardest time out in the battlefield so in order to increase their chances of survival, they had to take Metal Sonic, Serpentine, Syntax and the shape-bot duo above all else. Sonic and Lilac had experienced each other's enemies from before their worlds had combined together. Serpentine and Syntax had been a tough duo to beat for the Mobians and Metal Sonic had given the Avalicians a hard time. They both agreed that it would be best if they took on their own enemies this time. In battle, it was always considered wise to fight the enemy you knew the best.

The team of heroes divided into two groups. Sonic and Lilac would take on Serpentine and Metal Sonic while they took care of the rest of the army. The Egg Beetle came lunging forwards just as the Mobians charged into battle and Syntax launched into action as the Avalicians stampeded towards her. The Eggman robots and Brevon forces joined them as the battle began to unfold around them. Fists flew, kicks were thrown, lasers were fired, Chaos Spears were launched, cards were tossed and shields were made and lobbed. The fight was going to get very chaotic very quickly.

Sonic spin-dashed towards Metal Sonic while Lilac dragon-boosted towards Serpentine. Unfortunately for the hedgehog and dragon, their plan wasn't going to be as simple as that. Metal Sonic and Serpentine and both anticipated the moves and had swapped opponents before the speedy heroes could hit them. So Lilac ended up hitting Metal Sonic while Serpentine ended up receiving Sonic's attack instead. The heavily-armoured mech that the cyber-snake was piloting withstood the blow from Sonic's spin-dash with ease and Metal Sonic wasn't the least bit fazed by the Dragon-Boost attack from Lilac. The dragon and metal hedgehog both hit the ground and rolled over each other with Metal Sonic be the victor as he swung his legs up and threw Lilac off of himself. Lilac screamed as she was catapulted through the air and thrown down heavily onto her back. It felt as if she'd fallen out of a tree and landed hard on her back as she lay on the tarmac, wincing in pain. Sonic leapt back, peeved that he had hit Serpentine instead of Metal Sonic as he had intended, and he tried to run over to his metallic nemesis. But then Serpentine's canine-esque mech bounded after him and knocked Sonic off his feet with a huge swing of the mech's enormous head. Sonic cried out as he was hit and thrown aside like a rag doll by the attack. The hedgehog groaned, trying to hold his pain. Serpentine stood over Sonic and cackled at him.

"Not so fast hedgehog! You're fighting me and the dragon girl can fight Eggman's robot!" the snake crowed, "After all, it's always harder for you self-righteous warriors to defeat a villain you don't know! Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Funny, this thing can work the other way around too!" Sonic retorted, smirking as he picked himself up.

He then suddenly spin-dashed straight up in to the chin section of Serpentine's mech, catching the snake general off-guard and making him yelp as the mech's head reared up and made the mech stumble a little. Back on Mobius, before it had been fused to Avalice, he hadn't directly fought Sonic himself. Thus he had no idea on the sheer power that the hedgehog packed. He was well shaken by the spin-dash but he had a feeling he would get used to it quickly. It was just like Lilac's Dragon-Boost, only less sparkly. He wondered for a moment if Sonic's attack was stronger, weaker or on par with Lilac's boost attack. Gritting his teeth, the general focused back onto Sonic as the hedgehog came at him again. The cyber-snake thrust the levers forward, making the mech rear-up so he could dodge Sonic's spin-dash. He had aimed at his head so with the mech now standing on its hind legs, Sonic missed and hit the ground instead. Luckily, he managed to quickly roll out of the way before the mech could bring its upper body down and squash him flat with its front feet. Sonic picked himself up and stomp-kicked the mech, making Serpentine wobble slightly. The cyber-snake got himself back under control and watched as the hedgehog charged towards him in another spin-dash. That was when the general made his move.

He opened the mech's huge, steel jaws and fired a powerful green energy sphere out from the mech's mouth towards Sonic. The hedgehog had no time to dodge as he ploughed straight into the energy sphere. He was hit by it and he contorted with agony as the sphere swept over him. Serpentine hadn't fired the shot with the intention of killing Sonic, he had fired it with the intention of dispatching him quickly. Brevon had ordered him NOT to kill anybody since he and Eggman wanted to do it themselves. So he had opted on knocking Sonic out so he could take him to Brevon and Eggman and allow them to do the honours. The sphere, once it had hit Sonic, sent out a paralyzing electrical charge that caused the hedgehog's body to contort and then shut down, effectively bringing him into unconsciousness. It was a temporary effect but enough to leave Sonic at Serpentine's mercy. The supersonic Mobian collapsed onto the ground, unmoving and out cold but still alive. Cackling, Serpentine moved his machine towards the hedgehog and scooped him up with the mech's huge jaws. He would carry Sonic back to the Egg Dreadnought in the mech's mouth. Satisfied, he activated the mech's jets and began to take off.

Meanwhile, Lilac and Metal Sonic were still tangling with each other. The Sonic-esque machine clawed at the dragon, missing her by centimetres as she leaned backwards to dodge the blow. Lilac then suddenly threw her upper-body back upright and pushed herself forward, her hands coming to rest on Metal Sonic's shoulders as she grabbed him tightly and held on. Metal Sonic was about to push Lilac away but the dragon then pulled him forwards, bringing herself down onto her back so she could throw her legs up and push Metal Sonic up into the air and send him crashing into a nearby sushi bar. The terrified bar owner fled his establishment and ran for his life as the robot came to rest near the counter. Metal Sonic picked himself up and he rocketed towards the draconian girl. Lilac spun around on the spot in a Dragon-Cyclone attack but unfortunately, Metal Sonic had anticipated the move having scanner her data earlier. He instead flew over Lilac and then spin-dashed downwards into her, knocking her flat onto the ground. The dragon grimaced and spluttered as she pushed herself back onto her feet. She growled in annoyance at her metallic opponent.

"You're tough I'll admit but I'm not gonna let you win this one!" she snarled, "Lord Brevon had some tough robots too and I stomped them into scrap! You'll be joining them!"

Metal Sonic just gave her a silent stare, the only thing he was capable of given he had no vocal processor to speak with. He spin-dashed towards Lilac, hoping to at least break some of her bones. Lilac Dragon-Boosted towards Metal Sonic, rage driving her as she came hurling towards him. She was meant to be fighting Serpentine as she and Sonic had agreed on but now, she was all too happy to try and smash Metal Sonic for, in a way, being responsible for this chaos. The dragon and machine crashed into each other, their attacks throwing one another backwards in a big ricochet that shook Lilac's entire body and rattled Metal Sonic's gears and circuitry. They both landed on their backs, grimacing from their attacks. It astonished Lilac on how strong Metal Sonic truly was. She and Sonic fought so similarly and yet he could withstand her as well as Sonic. Maybe that was why she couldn't win. Lilac began to wonder if changing tactics was a good idea to try out and see if she could win the battle with. She could try fighting more with her martial arts than her speed and boosting attacks.

Lilac ran towards Metal, screeching like an angry animal on the charge into battle. The robot hedgehog stood his ground, waiting for his opponent to come too close to him. He had a plan and he was going to execute it now. He waited until Lilac pounced on him and wrestled him to the ground before he made his move. The dragon was on top of him with her hands around his neck, effectively trying to rip his entire head off. But then Metal Sonic grabbed Lilac by the wrists and sent a terrific, agonizing electrical surge that shot up Lilac's arms and spread out all over her body. His hands had built-in electrical shocking devices for cases like this. Lilac screamed in anguish as she was electrocuted. It felt almost as bad as the cold-blooded torture Brevon had subjected her to last year. Metal Sonic kept up the shock for a whole minute before he let go of Lilac and allowed her to collapse on top of him, completely unconscious as she slumped. Metal Sonic then pushed the knocked out dragon off of himself and he stood back up. He was tempted to finish off Lilac here and now but he had been given strict orders not to kill the Mobians or Avalicians. He was to bring them back to Eggman and Brevon so they could have the pleasure of killing them. With Lilac unconscious, Metal Sonic decided to take her away now before he lost the opportunity to make off with her. He seized her by the arms and he carried her up off the ground, his jet rocket blazing as he flew up into the sky.

The kidnapping of Sonic and Lilac was so far going on unnoticed by the others as they fought against the rest of the army. Amy and Cream had decided to have another go at Syntax, joining in with Carol and Milla who were also fighting against the fembot. In a way, it was like they wanted a rematch with her for what had happened before the fusion process. Syntax lashed out with her metallic scorpion claws, nearly seizing Cream and Milla both together but they quickly ducked down, the claw snapping shut just above their heads. Amy ran in and uppercut the claw with her hammer to get it away from the two girls while Carol pounced on Syntax and began clawing at her viciously. The robotic henchwoman grabbed Carol with tossed her aside as if she was garbage to throw away. She then aimed her scorpion tail at Amy and Cream and fired a powerful shot at them from the laser tip. Before the shot could hit the girls though, Milla jumped in front and summoned a shield in her hands to block the attack. The shot was too powerful though and as it hit, it threw the dog backwards into Amy and Cream, knocking the two down onto their backs. They weren't down for long though. The girls quickly picked themselves up and ran back towards Syntax, keen to get back in the fight.

Gong and Neera ran towards the Egg Beetle, which was already being attacked by Tails and Knuckles. The huge beetle like machine snapped its pincers at the two Mobians, missing them by inches as Tails and Knuckles jumped over it and before it could attack again, Knuckles landed atop the pincher tips. He then sprinted up the pincers and towards the head section, which was where Orbot and Cubot were stationed. He jumped up and threw a punch at the glass window bubble that shielded them from the outside world. The glass was tough enough to withstand the blow but it wouldn't last forever. Orbot and Cubot yelped as they were hit and they commanded the Egg Beetle to move back. As they did though, Gong threw his shield at the pincers and hit them. It was like having a Frisbee thrown at you, only a lot harder. The pincers received no damage but the shield attack had been enough to deter them for them moment. Neera Li then ran in and threw some icy boomerangs at the mech, hoping to freeze it. She hit it but the mech didn't freeze upon impact. The Egg Beetle needed a lot more hits before the freezing could take effect. It shrugged off the blows and then suddenly charged towards its opponents, its pincers glowing malevolently. The pandas, fox and echidna tried to get out of the way but they were a fraction too slow. The Egg Beetle ploughed straight through them, knocking them all aside like an elephant stampeding through the trees. The moment its attack had finished though, the Mobians and Avalicians picked themselves up and ran towards the Egg Beetle again.

The rest of the teams were fighting off the foot-soldiers of the army. Shadow, Rouge, Spade, Dail, Torque fought hard against the Eggman robots, Brevon machines and alien soldiers as they shot at them rapidly, hoping to hit them and take them down for a moment so they could take them back to their leaders. But they barely stood a chance against the five. Shadow spin-dashed many Egg-Pawns to pieces and threw Chaos Spears at the Egg Flappers to bring them down, Rouge screw-kicked them to bits, Spade destroyed many robo-scallops with his deadly card attacks, Torque took out many of the robo-frogs and Dail helped to keep the aliens at bay. The fight was going well into their favour but they would soon realize that things weren't going as well as they could've been. Torque shot a robo-frog in the legs, tripping it up and leaving it vulnerable but as he turned around to shoot another one, he saw a terrible sight up in the sky. He looked up and gasped as he saw Metal Sonic flying off with Lilac, limp and unconscious, in his hands! Serpentine was flying away too, presumably because he had captured somebody like Metal Sonic had. The Chaser quickly observed the scene all around him and he saw that Sonic didn't appear to be anywhere amongst the battle. This meant that he had been captured too and like Lilac, he was probably being taken away to his inevitable demise. Shadow landed beside him having just taken out another Egg-Pawn and he was about to go at it some more until Torque grabbed his arm.

"Shadow, we have an emergency!" Torque exclaimed, "Serpentine and Metal Sonic have captured Sonic and Lilac! They're getting away!"

He pointed up at the sky just as the huge battle mech and the Mobian-sized killing machine began to fly away with their prizes. Shadow looked up and saw what Torque was pointing at. He could see Lilac dangling beneath Metal Sonic like a puppet on strings. He couldn't see Sonic but he had a good idea where he was, inside Serpentine's mech's jaws. He growled angrily, livid to see that Mobius and Avalice's heroes were being kidnapped.

"We've gotta get them back!" he declared, "We'll chase them down Torque!"

"Right behind you!" Torque cried, eager to save his draconian friend from peril.

He activated his jet boots and took to the skies while Shadow curled into a ball and spin-dashed up towards the escaping duo. They both perused Serpentine and Metal Sonic, eager to catch them before they got too far ahead. But their plan was ultimately all for nought. Syntax spotted the two following the escaping Serpentine and Metal Sonic and she managed to spare herself a moment from the fight with Amy, Cream, Milla and Carol so she could aim her scorpion tail at the two and shoot at them. The sizzling laser blast reached out toward the Chaser and hedgehog and hit them both, knocking them down out of the sky and sending them falling towards the ground. They would be dead the moment they hit it due to the height they were falling from. Luckily for them, Rouge and Milla flew up towards their stricken comrades and quickly caught them before they could crash down. Milla held on tightly to Torque as she lowered him down and Rouge held Shadow in her arms as she flew down towards the ground. The dog and bat touched down and put down the bedraggled Chaser and hedgehog. They both rubbed their heads better and sat up, trying to shake off the blast that had brought them down.

"Are you OK?" Milla asked worriedly.

"You still with us tall, dark and broody?" Rouge asked, half snickering and half concernedly.

"Ungh…I've had worse…" Torque said casually.

"As have I…" Shadow said grimly, "We have a problem. Sonic and Lilac have been captured by Serpentine and Metal Sonic!"

"Oh no!" Milla squealed in terror, "They're gonna do terrible things to them, I just know it! They might torture Lilac again and then do the same to Sonic!"

"We've gotta go after them!" Rouge declared, "We have less chance of saving the world if those two wind up dead so we've gotta give chase!"

"I think that's not really an option anymore…" Torque said gravely.

He looked up at the sky and noticed that Serpentine and Metal Sonic were nothing more than little dots getting smaller and smaller in the distance. Any chance of catching up to the two now was pretty much zero. They had lost them for now but they hadn't lost them completely.

"We can still see them, we can try following them back to the Egg Dreadnought!" Rouge suggested, "And once we get there, we can get Sonic and his new girlfriend back."

Torque shot a confused look over at Rouge, thinking that she was being serious on what she had said about Lilac for a moment.

"Rouge, I thought Sonic said Lilac wasn't his girlfriend…" Shadow retorted, looking annoyed with his comrade's remark.

"Just kidding Mr. Humourless." the bat sighed.

But then suddenly, she, Shadow, Torque and Milla were knocked off their feet as the Egg Beetle came charging out of nowhere and ploughed straight through them like a snowplough through a snow pile. They all cried out as the huge glowing pincers of the insectoid machine hit them and threw them aside. Tails, Knuckles, Neera Li and Gong chased after the Egg Beetle, hoping to stop it from hitting anybody else. The Egg Beetle was charging towards Amy, Cream and Carol, who were still fighting against Syntax's scorpion mech and ready to charge straight through them. Luckily for the three, Knuckles and Gong caught up with the machine and slammed into the side of it, disrupting its charge and bringing it spinning around. It hurtled straight towards Syntax, who had no time to dodge as the Egg Beetle collided into it. The two machines sprawled on the ground, a tangle of metal limbs and huge metal bodies as they tried to pick themselves up. No serious damage was done to either of them despite the collision and the two machines were back on their feet in no time at all. Angered, the Egg Beetle and Syntax primed their weapons and prepared to attack again. The Mobians and Avalicians stood their ground, ready to fight back. If they wanted to try and save Sonic and Lilac, they had to take care of the robots first. They wouldn't get very far with the robots constantly getting in their way and hampering their pursuit attempts. The fight continued with the heroes and villains all lunging towards each other in a deadly charge…

* * *

Meanwhile, Serpentine and Metal Sonic had arrived back at the Egg Dreadnought, which was stationed just above a vast, expansive field that somehow managed to look completely normal with not a hint of Mobius or Avalice anywhere in it. It was a field that looked as if it could belong to either planet and not out of place in the slightest. It was quite near to Shangopolis so Serpentine and Metal Sonic hadn't had a very long flight back to base. Upon arrival, they had been let inside the dreadnought and were quick to take the still unconscious Sonic and Lilac up to their masters, who were stationed in the control room at the centre of the ship as usual. Serpentine had left his mech and had taken Sonic out of the mech's mouth so he could carry him to Eggman and Brevon while Metal Sonic carried Lilac in his arms to the two villains. Eggman and Brevon were standing together near a control console, awaiting any updates from their forces. They both turned to see the cyber-snake and robot hedgehog enter the room with quite possibly the best sight that either one of them could lay their eyes on. The two had managed to capture Sonic and Lilac, their two worst enemies themselves! Neither of them had expected this. They had expected their goons to come back with at least one of Sonic or Lilac's friends before the hedgehog and dragon wound up captured. And yet here they were, the best of the best, both brought before them like presents from a loved one. Eggman and Brevon both let fly a gloating cackle of delight, pleased with the results of their plan.

"This is too good, way, way too good! Ho, ho, ho! They've actually come back with Sonic and Lilac themselves!" Eggman cackled.

 **"It appears that fate really is smiling down on us…"** Brevon purred menacingly, **"Now we can take care of the biggest treats to our rule right here and now!"**

"Indeed you can my lord!" Serpentine crowed, dropping Sonic down onto the floor while Metal Sonic dropped Lilac down beside him, "And given the rest of our army is still fighting, we might have more heroes to get rid of than just these two annoyances!"

 **"Very good indeed…"** Brevon said darkly.

"Now then…it is time we put these two out of OUR misery!" Eggman declared, "Brevon, I have dibs on Sonic. Lilac's all yours OK?"

He turned and saw that surprisingly enough, Brevon was actually standing still and thinking for a moment. He was staring at Sonic and Lilac with his dark red eyes as if trying to figure something out about them. This was unusual if not completely strange. Eggman was sure that Brevon wanted his enemy dead so why was he not readying himself for the kill? Didn't he want this world to last forever with he and him as its rulers?

"Um…Brevon? Did you hear me?" asked Eggman, "Lilac's all yours while Sonic is my kill. Brevon?"

 **"Actually doctor, I have a better idea for those two…a MUCH better idea!"** Brevon announced, snapping out of his daydream as if somebody had just dragged him back into reality, **"Killing them now would just waste a golden opportunity we have on ensuring that our enemies will be defeated."**

"And what might I ask would THAT be?" Eggman asked, sounding annoyed at the fact Brevon had just decided to suddenly change his mind at this stage.

Brevon grinned wickedly as he walked closer to the fat scientist. The smile on his face reminded Eggman of a crazed serial killer who's about to brutally and horribly mutilate his next victim. It made him feel uncomfortable but he tried not to show it.

 **"Wouldn't it be so much more interesting to have our greatest enemies take out their own comrades?"** Brevon asked, his voice soft and dangerous, **"I remember how when I thought against the dragon girl and her comrades, I captured her canine comrade and turned her against her to slow her down. I think it would be excellent to turn the dragon girl and the hedgehog boy into villains and have them hunt down the rest of their motely crew! What do you say doctor…?"**

The moustachioed scientist stroked his moustache in thought as he turned over such a possibility in his head. It was definitely an idea full of merit and one that he'd be stupid to pass up. Wouldn't it be fun to sit back and watch as Sonic and Lilac slaughtered their own friends? Sonic was always making Eggman's life a misery and Lilac had ruined Brevon's reputation as a feared tyrant amongst the galaxy. Wouldn't it be so satisfying to see the heroes doing something for their benefit for once? Yes it would. Eggman grinned from ear to ear. His smile was so wide that it looked as if the corners of his mouth would pop out.

"I LOVE this idea Brevon! Ho, ho, ho! Why didn't I think of that?! That's genius! Pure and utter genius! Turn Sonic and Lilac into villains that'll do what we wish for them to do! What a great idea!"

 **"I'm pleased you approve of it…"** the alien warlord purred delightedly.

"So tell me Brevon, how do you intend to turn them evil?" the doctor asked curiously.

 **"Mutation."** Brevon explained, **"I did just that to the dragon's canine friend when she and her team invaded my ship. I mutated her into a hideous monster and had her fight against the dragon and feline creatures. They defeated her and still got to me in time to stop me but the experiment was easily a success by any rate. I would very much like to see what my draconian nemesis would look like as a mutant…"**

"Ooooh, that sounds pretty freaky!" Eggman blurted, "And as it so happens Brevon, **I** have a way of turning people against their loved ones too!"

 **"And that is?"**

"Roboticization."

 **"What is that?"**

"A beautiful process I invented in which I transform an innocent Mobian into a cold-hearted, emotionless, loyal machine bound to my will." Eggman explained, "You'd love to see it!"

 **"I suppose I would. It does sound rather…fascinating."** the alien crooned.

"It is not only fascinating, it's glorious!" the scientist gloated, "And you know…I'm actually quite eager to see what it'd be like if I roboticized an Avalician…" he added, eyeing Lilac gleefully.

 **"So you want to turn this one into a machine?"** Brevon asked, motioning to the unconscious dragon.

"Oh yes. That is…if you don't mind…" Eggman said sheepishly.

 **"I want to see her suffer for what she's done to me. Turning her into a loyal robot against her will sounds like a good way to make her suffer."** the alien crowed approvingly, **"You may "roboticize" the dragon girl. As for the Mobian hedgehog, I would like to see how my mutation process works on a Mobian. Should give off some very interesting results."**

"Then you may mutate Sonic!" Eggman said brightly, sounding genuinely happy to let Brevon do what he pleased to his spiky nemesis, "I actually want to see how your mutation thing works and watching you turn my number one nemesis into a monster will be so much fun!"

 **"As will watching you turn my enemy into a robot…"** Brevon crowed, **"Let us prepare them for the transformations…"**

Laughing manically, Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon reached down for the still unconscious Sonic and Lilac and picked them up, ready to convert them…

* * *

Much later, Sonic and Lilac finally started to come around. It had been a while since Serpentine and Metal Sonic had knocked them out but they were finally beginning to wake up. Their eyes opened slowly. They felt very groggy and like they had just woken up from a terrible hangover. The hedgehog and dragon fully opened their eyes, trying their best to shake off the effects of their knockout. But as they regained their senses and took a good look around, they now began to wish they were still asleep. They were both shacked to a steel bed and locked up in a capsule each. There capsules were beside each other and had clear glass doors so the two could see each other's situations very clearly. It was as if their kidnappers wanted them to watch what was going to happen to one another and bear witness to each other's horror. Sonic and Lilac began to struggle, trying desperately to get free. The clamps around their wrists, ankles and waists were very strong, so strong that even somebody as strong as Knuckles and General Gong wouldn't be able to break free. Both hedgehog and dragon went red in the face as they tried to break free. But no matter how hard they both pulled on their restraints, the clamps refused to budge. Sonic stopped struggling and he sighed loudly.

"Man, this just isn't my day is it?" he muttered, "First the Blue Typhoon gets blown up and now me and you have been captured and we can't get free!"

"It's almost as if this day's out to get us…" sighed Lilac, "Although there is one positive to all of this…" she said softly.

"What's that then?" asked Sonic.

"We're on the Egg Dreadnought." Lilac noted, winking at the hedgehog.

"I never would've guessed." Sonic snickered, "Now if we can find a way out of here, we can grab the Kingdom Emerald and restore everything to normal! But…how do we get outta these things?" he asked, glaring at his restraints.

"Maybe we could try and tempt Eggman and Brevon to let us go so we can save our worlds from tearing each other apart." the dragon suggested, "Brevon wouldn't wanna lose Avalice since he can't make it suffer for humiliating him. He'd lose some potential fun if it was destroyed."

"And Eggman doesn't want Mobius destroyed since he can't conquer it if it's destroyed." the hedgehog added, "So yeah…that could work Lilac."

"I hope the two villain brothers are in a listening mood…" Lilac said gravely.

The two captives would soon find out for themselves for the door opened up and Eggman and Brevon entered the room. It amazed the hedgehog and dragon as to how much their two enemies contrasted each other, and not just in how Eggman walked normally into a room whereas Brevon seemed incapable of entering a room quietly. Their appearances together just seemed unusual, if not completely strange. Brevon was tall and menacing and very scary whereas Eggman was tall but looked more like he belonged in a children's cartoon. When comparing the two, Lilac thought that Brevon would be likelier to scare somebody whereas Eggman was likelier to make somebody laugh mockingly at him. To Sonic though, he knew that both of them had to be taken deathly seriously, even if one looked sillier than the other. The fat scientist and alien warlord strode over to their captives and grinned as they stared at them through their capsules. Sonic and Lilac were a little frightened but they did their best to hide their fear. They wouldn't let their worst enemies have the satisfaction of seeing them scared.

"Oh goodie, you're both awake!" Eggman crowed, "I was hoping you would be! I want you two to see what we have in store for you!"

"Let me guess, an hour-long gloating session with an extra hour of boring us to death with whatever villainous monologue you have planned?" Sonic snorted.

 **"Let's see how funny you are when you end up as a mutant creature working for me little one…"** Brevon growled menacingly.

"Oh hey Lord Eyebrows, I was hoping to see you again." Sonic said casually, seeming to have taken no notice to what Brevon had said, "I still owe you a headache for stealing the Master Emerald."

"And I owe Baldy McNosehair over there a broken nose for stealing the Kingdom Energy!" Lilac spat, glaring at Eggman, "My planet needs that energy to survive and since you've stolen it, Avalice will be in danger without that energy keeping us alive!"

"Oh there's no need to be so worried Lilac." Eggman sneered, "Remember, Mobius and Avalice are fused together now. Your Kingdom Energy can keep the Avalice half alive still, especially as me and Brevon fused the Master Emerald and the Kingdom Energy together to make an even greater source of energy for me and my new friend to use!" he crowed.

"Yeah, we kinda figured that out." Lilac muttered, "We even guessed that you two called it the "Kingdom Emerald". Is that right?"

 **"You're smarter than I give you credit for."** Brevon sneered, **"Good. The doctor won't be useful to me if he turns you into an unintelligent machine after all."**

Sonic's blood ran cold whereas Lilac stared at Brevon in total confusion.

"W-what? What are you talking about?" the dragon asked.

"Roboticization…" Sonic said coldly, "Eggman turns people like me into robots Lilac. According to Brevon…he wants to turn YOU into a robot!"

The dragon's face went pale with shock. She looked over at Eggman, her eyes full of fear.

"You…want to…turn me…into a robot?!" she shrieked, unable to hide her terror.

"Oh indeed I do Miss Lilac!" Eggman chortled, showing no sympathy towards the frightened girl before him, "It'll be fun to roboticize an Avalician! I'm quite excited to see the results!"

"You leave her alone Egg-head!" Sonic snarled, tugging on his restraints, "You have no beef with her! Roboticize ME instead!"

 **"I'm afraid he cannot do that hedgehog."** Brevon interrupted, raising a finger and waggling it in a matter-of-fact manner, **"You see, I have an experiment I want to try out myself. Eggman wants to see what it's like to roboticize an Avalician…and in return, I want to see what it's like to mutate a Mobian. I've corrupted many heroes, my methods mostly involving mutation. And many of them have had…fascinating results! I wish to see what results you have."**

Sonic stared at Brevon as if he had just announced that he was going to blow up Mobius. He didn't scare easily but even the hedgehog could barely keep the fear off his face. He'd experienced some kind of mutation before during the time where Eggman split the world in pieces. The Werehog hadn't been that pleasant and he didn't want to know what a mutation at Brevon's hands felt like.

"You're gonna turn me into a monster, is that it?" Sonic asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Brevon nodded, grinning wickedly.

"You monster! You can't do that to him!" Lilac shrieked angrily, "You leave him alone! Don't you dare turn him into a monster!"

 **"You cannot stop me little girl. You're locked up just like your hedgehog comrade is."** Brevon sneered, **"Therefore, there is nothing you can do to keep me from mutating the Mobian."**

"You know Sonic, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you and Lilac seem to care for each other a lot." Eggman taunted, "I didn't think you'd be so quick to ditch Amy for the dragon girl!"

"I swear, the next person to say Lilac's my girlfriend is gonna get a spin-dash in the eye!" Sonic snarled, "We're just good friends, nothing more! And you two better release us or we're all gonna die!"

"That's the idea, we want you all dead so that we have nobody to stand in our way as we rule this fusion world!" the scientist announced delightedly.

"No, we literally mean that if you don't let us go, we're all dead!" Lilac screeched, "Our worlds are tearing each other apart! If you don't let us go now and let us fix this, our worlds are gonna destroy each other!"

Eggman and Brevon both stared at their captives in utter disbelief. Eggman looked surprised to hear this whereas Brevon looked half surprised and half amused at the same time. The two then looked at each other as if wondering what the other was thinking. The world was tearing itself apart? That couldn't be! The doctor and warlord then looked back at Sonic and Lilac.

 **"It is quite clear that this one is a little deranged."** Brevon said coldly.

"I'll say she is! Our world is just fine! If she thinks we're going to fall for that obvious trick then she's deathly mistaken!" Eggman snorted.

"It's not a trick you morons, it's the truth!" Sonic spat, "There's earthquakes happening on and off consistently! The last one that happened was bad enough to bring a few buildings down! There's even cracks in the ground! And the place it's happening in is a mix of Westopolis and Shang Mu, both of which are NOT earthquake zones!"

"There's no other reason for the earthquakes happening other than this fusion world is unstable and our worlds are breaking apart!" Lilac cried, "So please, you must let us go and let us use the Kingdom Emerald to separate our worlds before they both destroy each other! Please!"

The mentioning of earthquakes was enough to make Eggman and Brevon second-guess their claims and think for a moment. They hadn't anticipated something like this. Their fusion world was getting earthquakes? Said earthquakes so bad that they were causing buildings to collapse? Eggman would've said that it was because they were in an earthquake zone but he knew like Sonic did that Westopolis wasn't an earthquake zone. And Sonic had confirmed, presumably on Lilac's behalf, that Shang Mu wasn't an earthquake zone either. It seemed awfully strange for two non-earthquake zones to suddenly get tremors and quakes strong enough to knock buildings down. Maybe the hedgehog and dragon weren't insane after all? Brevon seemed more amused than startled by the whole idea but he didn't dare let Eggman see it. He still needed him right now.

"Well…I didn't think that was going to happen after we combined our planets…" the fat doctor murmured.

 **"Do not heed their ramblings doctor, they're just trying to scare us and trick us into letting them have the Kingdom Emerald."** Brevon reassured, putting a hand on Eggman's shoulder to ease his nerves, **"Our world is just fine, there is nothing to worry about."**

"It's not fine you big, stupid brute!" Sonic snapped, "And we're not just trying to scare you or trick you either! We're being serious!"

"It's the truth, honestly!" Lilac begged, "Our worlds are tearing each other apart as we speak! Please, you must believe us!"

 **"We do not believe you and we are growing tired of your paranoia."** the alien warlord growled, **"Doctor, shall we convert them now?"**

"Yes, yes we shall!" Eggman declared, "That way they can stop trying to worry us over nothing! Prepare the conversion!"

Secretly though, Eggman was beginning to wonder if Sonic and Lilac's story was actually credible and that he and Brevon should be taking it seriously. The overweight mad genius decided that he would investigate this matter and see if Sonic and Lilac were telling the truth after all. The last thing he wanted was he and Brevon's marvellous combination of two worlds to fall apart. Eggman and Brevon walked towards Sonic and Lilac's capsules and they began pressing buttons on the sides of them. The hedgehog and dragon stared at them in fright, wishing against all hope that they'd change their minds and listen to them. They both began to struggle, desperate to get free.

"No, don't do it! You're making a mistake!" Sonic cried.

"You're dooming us all! Please don't do it!" Lilac begged.

Their pleading went on ignored as Eggman and Brevon activated the transformation sequences. They both pressed a button to activate the capsules and they stood back, eager to watch as their heroes were transformed into mindless drones working for them and them alone. The capsules hummed ominously as they activated and the captive heroes could only brace themselves for impact. Lilac screeched loudly as a beam coursed through her like a knife through flesh and began to transform her. Sonic cried out with her as a beam hit him and began to mutate him at the same time. Simultaneously, the hedgehog and dragon were beginning to change. One was becoming a robot and the other was becoming a mutant. And both of them were in total agony. They felt as if their bodies were being torn apart atom by atom and then reconstructed as something new entirely. Eggman and Brevon watched with delight as the dragon's skin began to become metal and the hedgehog's body began to become grotesque and change horribly. Sonic and Lilac's screams were beginning to die out as they were transformed. It was as if they had given up trying to resist and were just letting the torturous transformation just finish its job already. Lilac was becoming 100% robot as the beam turned her skin into metal, her blood into oil and her eyes into optics. Sonic's body mass began to increase in size and his teeth began to grow, becoming almost too large for his mouth to hold them. The evil scientist and world conqueror both laughed, enjoying the results of their experiments. They could hardly wait to unleash the corrupted heroes onto their friends and have them all viciously slaughtered by their own hand…

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the Mobians and Avalicians were still fighting against Syntax, the Egg Beetle and the remainders of their respective armies. They had all tried to get away from the fight so they could try and rescue Sonic and Lilac but neither one was able to get away due to how persistent their opponents were. Syntax and the Egg Beetle in particular were proving difficult to get by. Tails tried to fly off over the scorpion-mech that Syntax piloted but the fem-bot shot at him with her laser tail to stop him from escaping. The fox cried out and flew aside to avoid the blast. Luckily, it missed him by inches. Carol tried to flee the battlefield but found herself having to throw herself aside as the Egg Beetle launched towards her like a charging rhino. It missed her by centimetres and the wildcat felt it whoosh past her. The Egg Beetle stopped and turned around, ready to charge again only for Knuckles and Gong to both charge into the side of it together. Syntax prepared to shoot at the echidna and panda but before she could, Torque and Shadow began to bombard her with laser shots and Chaos Spears. The heavy shots caused Syntax to forget about helping the Egg Beetle and to turn her attention onto the Chaser and hedgehog instead.

Amy, Cream, Cheese, Milla, Neera, Gong, Rouge, Spade and Dail were focused on all the robots and aliens that accompanied the two main threats. Amy whacked a few Egg Flappers away with her hammer as they dive-bombed down towards her with their guns firing. Her big, meaty hammer smashed them to pieces with no problems whatsoever as she swung it into them. Some robo-scallops flew towards Milla and began shooting at her but the young canine blocked their attacks with an energy shield and waited until they came in close before making her move. The scallops flew towards her and just as they got in range, Milla shot at them with an energy blast from her shield. It hit the robots and sent them crashing down onto the ground. Amy turned and smiled approvingly at Milla.

"That's pretty good kiddo." she said, "You're quite the wonder dog."

"Th-thank you miss." Milla said bashfully, "You're quite amazing too with that big hammer of yours." she complimented.

"Thank you." Amy said, "Let's continue being amazing shall we?" she added, a daring smile on her pretty face.

"Yes!" the dog piped eagerly.

The two girls then ran forwards as more Egg Flappers and robo-scallops came towards them.

Meanwhile, Spade and Dail both worked together to take out some of the Egg-Pawns and robo-frogs that began shooting at them. The panda brothers moved at speeds that neither robot could keep up with and took them out in a flurry of moves and flying cards. It felt good to Dail to be doing this in revenge for what Brevon had done to his father and Eggman joined up with him in this mad scheme that was dooming their worlds. Spade was getting the same satisfaction as he tore through the robots with his deadly cards. Eggman and Brevon would be sorry they ever messed with him. The panda brothers looked over at each other as they destroyed another robo-frog.

"Funny how we're working together isn't it?" Spade snickered.

"Don't get used to it brother…" Dail warned, his voice like ice.

Spade shrugged and threw some more cards at an on-coming Egg Pawn as Dail sped off to fight another robo-frog.

Neera Li and Rouge fought against the larger Egg Pawns with the big hammers and some of the alien soldiers. An Egg Pawn swung its hammer down towards the girls but they both dodged and Neera threw icy boomerangs at the Egg Pawn. The boomerangs hit the robot and froze it instantly. Now the robot was a giant ice sculpture, Rouge decided to finish it off by screw-kicking into it. This in turn shattered the frozen robot to pieces, reducing it to nothing more than chunks of ice. An alien soldier came running towards them with its gun blazing but the bat was quick to take it out by kicking it in the legs and tripping it up. The soldier crashed down at Neera's feet and the royal priestess froze it with an ice beam from her sceptre. Once it was frozen, she then whacked it with her sceptre and broke the frozen soldier to pieces. Rouge and Neera both smiled at each other, pleased with their good teamwork.

"You're not bad lady." Rouge said approvingly.

"You're quite impressive yourself." Neera said kindly, "You'd make a great guard for Shang Tu if you lived on Avalice."

"I think you'd make a good G.U.N. agent if you lived on Mobius honey." the bat complimented.

"How nice of you." the panda said graciously.

The two girls then focused back onto the battle as more Egg Pawns and aliens came towards them.

Cream and Cheese soared over the battlefield, dodging shots from Egg Flappers and robo-scallops. Their weaving around the shots was proving useful for some of the robots ended up shooting each other and bringing each other down to the ground as they tried to hit the rabbit and Chao. Cream giggled as some of the machines shot each other. Those robots really needed to work on their aim if they had a hope of hitting them. Cream then saw an Egg-Flapper and robo-scallop flying towards her and Cheese. There was no way she could trick them into shooting each other for they were facing her. So instead, she took a hold of Cheese and threw him straight at the robots. Cheese spun around like a baseball and slammed straight into the robo-scallop. Then he bounced off the dented machine and hit the Egg Flapper, breaking its wing and bringing it down to the ground. Cheese then returned to his loving owner and Cream hugged him delightedly.

"Oh well done Cheese!" she piped, "That was a very good shot!"

"Chao, Chao!" Cheese piped happily.

Down below, Tails, Carol, Knuckles, Gong, Shadow and Torque stood together as the Egg Beetle and Syntax began advancing towards them. They were all beginning to get tired but they weren't tired enough to back out of the fight. They still had enough energy left in them to continue. They all stood in battle-ready stances as if they had springs waiting to launch them into action.

"Be ready everybody. We can take those two!" Torque declared.

"We must save Sonic and Lilac!" Tails added, "If we have to destroy those jokers in order to do so then we won't give up!"

"I agree kiddo!" Carol announced, "Nobody kidnaps my best friend and gets away with it!"

"Get ready to attack, they're coming towards us…" Knuckles warned, ready to throw a punch.

But then something strange happened. Syntax and the Egg Beetle stopped advancing towards the heroes and stood still for a minute. It was as if something had occurred to them right now and they were reconsidering their options. Then suddenly, they turned around and began to fly away. They took off into the sky and began to flee the scene behind them! The remainders of their armies, which was only a handful on either side now, began to abandon the battle too, flying after their leaders as they flew away from the fight and headed on back to the Egg Dreadnought. The Mobians and Avalicians could only watch in total astonishment as their enemies fled.

"They're retreating!" Tails gasped.

"But…why?" Torque asked, "They had us pinned! What's going on?"

"Maybe they're finally realized that they're losing and they're no match for us." Shadow gloated.

"Or…maybe they're fleeing because Eggman and Brevon have a better weapon in mind to take us out…" Gong murmured thoughtfully.

The sad thing was…Gong was absolutely right. The army had retreated because Eggman and Brevon had something better to send after their enemies. Something that was guaranteed to succeed. The Mobians and Avalicians soon received the shock of their lives as a bright green and blue flash appeared from nowhere, forcing them to shield their eyes from the bright glow of the flash. It was a Chaos Control from the Kingdom Emerald and the people using it were the last ones they were expecting. The flash died down and in its place stood quite possibly the worst opponents the heroes could be facing. Standing before them…was a roboticized Lilac and a mutated Sonic.

Mecha Lilac was a terrifying sight. She looked exactly like a robotical version of Lilac complete with metal eyelashes and metallic tendrils. They were razor-sharp at the tips and looked very menacing. She also had sharp metal claws and cold pink optics that could freeze the blood. She still retained her organic self's colours though her skin was shiny metal instead of scales. Mecha Lilac looked like a total killing machine and the heroes had no doubt that she was as deadly as she looked.

Mutant Sonic was a sight to behold and be disgusted by. He looked like Sonic only much bigger in size and very monstrous looking. He had spikes on his legs, shins, arms and head, huge bulky arms that looked like they could win an arm-wrestling match with a gorilla no sweat, huge teeth and menacing claws. The palms of his hands had mouths in them, completely round with triangular teeth. His quills were larger too and added to his menacing look. He looked like a total monster and the heroes didn't want to know how beastly he could be in battle.

The two groups all took in what they were seeing with total horror. They almost didn't want to believe this was happening. But it was. Their world's biggest heroes were now a machine and a monster for Brevon and Eggman to play with and make them do as they pleased. Tails's eyes streamed with tears as he saw what had become of his best friend. Carol looked more angry than upset and the tears she shed were tears of anger rather than sadness.

"Sonic!" Tails howled with dismay.

"What did those sickos do to my best friend?!" Carol exclaimed.

"It looks like they roboticized Lilac…" Amy said gravely, "She's been turned into a robot, by Eggman no doubt. But what's happened to my poor Sonic?!" she cried, looking over at the hedgehog.

"Mutation…" Torque said, shaking his head sadly, "Brevon was always fond of that, mutating his enemies and making them his allies."

"That's like what happened to me last month!" Milla wailed, "Poor Sonic!"

"And poor Lilac..." Cream added, looking over at the roboticized dragon sadly.

"We're gonna save them both!" Knuckles declared, "Eggman and Brevon's corruption ain't gonna last!"

"You got that right echidna man!" Gong agreed, "Come on my friends, we have to save Sonic and Lilac!"

"I just hope there's a way to reverse what's been done to them…" Tails said solemnly.

Then suddenly, Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic stampeded towards the heroes with their claws bared and a killer look in their eyes. As they charged, they both yelled together the most cryptic words their former friends could ever hear:

"Enemies ahead! Must terminate for masters! Eliminate all threats to our masters!"

* * *

 _ **Oh my god...Sonic and Lilac...VILLAINS?! Our heroes have their hands full! How can they possibly win this one? Find out next time as "The Hunt Is On"...**_


	10. Chapter 9: The Hunt Is On

**Act 2**

 _Chapter 9: The Hunt is On_

The two hero groups all dived to one side as their corrupted friends came charging towards them. Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic both came at their friends like a pair of charging buffaloes with their sharp claws bared and their faces a mask of murder and terror both at once. It was like something out of a nightmare for the Mobians and Avalicians. Seeing Sonic and Lilac corrupted and turned evil was bad enough but now the two were after them was even worse. And both sides had a nasty feeling that the mutated and roboticized hedgehog and dragon weren't in the mood for a friendly chat or anything. They were here to kill and they had made that quite clear from the start. Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic skidded to a halt as they missed their targets. As they both turned around, ready to attack again, Tails and Torque both flew towards them. The fox and Chaser were not at all content with what they were going to do but they had no other choice. They had to fight or they were dead. Tails kick-slammed the mutated hedgehog in the face while Torque whipped out his blaster pistol and shot the roboticized dragon in the ankles. Mecha Lila fell over from the shot and Mutant Sonic staggered backwards from the kick to the face. Tails landed down before his corrupted best friend and decided to try a common tactic that many did with their corrupted loved ones. His eyes welled up and he did his best to maintain his composure as he spoke to the mutant hedgehog.

"Sonic, it's me Tails! Your best friend and sidekick!" the fox cried, "You would never hurt me and you certainly wouldn't hurt anybody else! You're being controlled by Eggman and Brevon! Don't let them control you like this! Fight it Sonic! You must fight it! Our worlds are at stake!"

As Tails pleaded with Mutant Sonic, Torque knelt down before Mecha Lilac as the Avalician-turned-machine raised her head and glowered at him with her sinister, cold optics.

"Hey Lilac. You remember me right?" the Chaser said, "It's Torque, the one who helped you to save Avalice a month back. You must remember that. You helped me to stop Lord Brevon from taking your planet's Kingdom Stone. You can't let him or Eggman control you like this. Fight it Lilac! You're stronger than they are! I know it and you know it!"

Neither mutant nor Robolician took any notice of their pleading friends. All they were hearing were pathetic attempts at appealing to a side that no longer existed in them. Mutant Sonic just roared at Tails, making him back away fearfully while Mecha Lilac stood up and prepared to attack Torque. Both villains lashed out at the fox and Chaser, missing them by inches as they leapt back. Tails sprang into action and kicked Mutant Sonic in the face again but the monstrous Mobian swatted him aside with a huge hand, shrugging off the kick as if it was nothing. He ran off to further battle Tails while Torque shot at Mecha Lilac frantically with his gun. The Robolician took the shots as if they were nothing and slugged him in the gut, knocking the wind straight out of him. The alien wheezed and collapsed onto his knees in pain. As he knelt, Mecha Lilac raised her hand and prepared to rip Torque's throat clean open. The Chaser looked up at her with pleading eyes but the roboticized dragon paid no attention to them. She swiped her hand towards Torque's neck, her claws scything through the air.

But with merely a split-second before impact, Carol suddenly scampered towards the two and she kicked Mecha Lilac clean off her feet. The roboticized dragon was more startled by the attack than hurt. She hit the ground but was quickly back on her feet just as Carol prepared to unleash a Wild Claw attack on her. The cat's eyes were streaming with tears. Tears of pain and despair over what had been done to her best friend. Mecha Lilac glowered at Carol, seeming to observe her as she swept her optics over the wildcat. She was preparing to attack again.

"You made a big mistake striking me Subject: Carol the Wildcat." the robo-dragon warned, "Now you will be slaughtered for your impudence." she added, baring her claws.

"Don't bet it on Little Miss Heropants!" Carol snapped, hot tears continuing to pour down her cheeks, "Because by the power invested in me, I am so gonna rip that robotic shell off of you and get you free! You're not gonna be Eggman or Brevon's mindless lackey any longer! You've saved my life many times before Lilac, I'm now gonna save yours!"

"Response: I do not need saving..." Mecha Lilac said coldly.

She then screeched a blood-curdling, metallic screech as she launched herself at Carol. The wildcat yelped and jumped aside as her roboticized friend came flying towards her. Mecha Lilac did a U-turn but was a fraction too slow as Carol launched a spinning kick at the robo-dragon. She sent Mecha Lilac's head flinging backwards but it wasn't enough to damage her in anyway. Mecha Lilac recovered and spun around on the spot, swinging her metallic tendrils around and threatening to slice her former friend to ribbons. Carol stepped back and jumped up into the air but then Mecha Lilac jumped up just as she sailed over her. She struck the tomboy feline and threw her down onto the ground, leaving her wincing in pain. Carol grimaced but Mecha Lilac didn't let her rest for one minute. She seized Carol by the neck and slugged her in the stomach. She then slugged her again and tossed aside like an unwanted present. Carol landed sharply on her shoulder, crying out as pain surged through her arm. She coughed heavily and clutched her stomach, willing the pain to go away so she could stand up again. Mecha Lilac advanced on her opponent, her tendrils raising up beside her arms and waiting to slice her to pieces. Carol watched helplessly as her mechanical opponent advanced on her. But she would live to fight another day for Milla suddenly sprang into action and summoned a shield in front of the cat just as Mecha Lilac prepared to stab her with her metallic tendrils. The blades hit the shield and pinged away harmlessly. Mecha Lilac recoiled, furious at having been denied the chance to murder one of her master's enemies. She began thumping against the shield, hoping to break it but Milla stayed strong and continued to keep it up to protect Carol.

Meanwhile, Mutant Sonic lumbered towards Tails, moving like some demonic gorilla rather than the super speedy hedgehog he had once been. He roared loudly, streams of saliva stretching between his teeth as his mouth opened. He snapped his terrible jaws at the fox, missing his head just as the young kid genius ducked to one side to avoid him. Tails knew that if those huge teeth had managed to snag him, he would have no chance. It would be like having multiple daggers stabbing down into his head, a death so grisly and painful that it wasn't even worth thinking about. Tails took to the air again, his tails spinning around swiftly and carrying him up, and he kick-slammed his mutated best friend in the side of his head. Mutant Sonic took the blow and snapped his jaws at Tails again, just missing his feet as the fox climbed up higher. Tails then descended, ready for another attack, but Mutant Sonic swatted him down onto the ground with his hand. The fox grunted as he hit the tarmac and he grimaced as he tried to pick himself up. But Mutant Sonic didn't give him chance to recover. He picked him up and punched him straight in the torso. Tails yelled in pain. Mutant Sonic's punches were like solid steel to him. If he kept this up, he'd break every bone in his body. Mutant Sonic drew his arm back, ready to punch him once again. Tails braced himself, expecting to feel the heavy punch on him and doubly expecting to feel his bones snap from the impact.

But mercifully, he was spared such a horrible fate for Amy and Knuckles charged in to help him. Amy screeched at the top of her lungs as she swung her hammer directly into Mutant Sonic's face, taking him off his feet and throwing him through the air in a rainbow arch. The monstrous creature let out a bellow as he slammed down onto the ground heavily. It pained the pink hedgehog to have done that to her beloved Sonic but deep down, she knew that she'd rather fight the mutant hedgehog and save him then do nothing at all. Knuckles ran over to Tails and helped the fox back onto his feet. Tails coughed heavily, wincing as he tried to get all his bones to properly knit together.

"You OK bud?" he asked.

"Ungh…not really…" Tails grunted, "Sonic sure packs a punch in this mutant form…I think he could rival even you."

"We'll just have to see about that won't we?" Knuckles sneered, "I could always outpunch that wise cracker in a fight and I'll do it again here!"

"And I'll be right beside ya!" Amy declared, "Anything for my poor Sonic. For the sake of Mobius and Avalice, we will save him from Eggman and Brevon's corruption!"

"You will not interfere with my master's plans…" growled Mutant Sonic, standing back up and baring his teeth and claws. He narrowed his eyes at his prey, ready to pounce on them. The Mobians stood their ground and prepared to fight back.

"Sonic, Eggman and Brevon aren't your masters!" Amy argued, "They're controlling you! They've mutated you into this hideous beast! And because we all love you so very much Sonic, we're gonna undo what's been done to you and restore you to normal!" she declared.

"You'll have to defeat me first!" the mutated hedgehog snarled, his voice an inhuman, animalistic growl rather than a voice.

He pounced towards his would-be-love-interest like a snarling lion. Amy let out a scream and quickly swung her hammer upwards before Mutant Sonic could land down on him. She hit the mutated hedgehog and threw him backwards but Mutant Sonic back flipped through the air and landed down on all fours, screeching to a half just as Knuckles came charging towards him. The spike-fisted echidna drew both arms back and prepared to launch them both at Mutant Sonic. But as he threw the punches, Mutant Sonic seized Knuckles's fists and held them back, pushing down against the powerful Mobian. Knuckles pushed back, determined not to let the corrupted hero beat him in this sumo match. He pushed back hard, grunting loudly and straining heavily as his muscles tensed and he pushed against his opponent with all his strength. But Mutant Sonic had something that Knuckles didn't. His hands had mouths in the palms. He used them to bite down on Knuckles's knuckles and make him bellow in agony. This caused him to lose his hold and thus, Mutant Sonic pushed him down onto the ground. Amy ran in to help but the monster picked up the echidna and threw him straight into her, taking her clean off of her feet and knocking her down onto her back. Both hedgehog and echidna groaned as they lay sprawled on the ground, wondering which part of them to rub better. Mutant Sonic roared his approval and he lumbered towards his prey, eager to finish them off at last. But as he neared Amy and Knuckles, Tails stepped in to protect them. He spun around on the spot and tail-whipped Mutant Sonic directly across the face. He was only small and very young but his tail whip was as powerful as a heavy punch. Mutant Sonic careened to one side and took a moment to rub his face better before Knuckles and Amy stood up and then they along with Tails all charged into him together.

Back over to Mecha Lilac, Milla had thrown a block of energy straight into the mecha-dragon and knocked her down onto her side. Mecha Lilac picked herself up only for Carol to then pounce on her and begin clawing at her as if determined to rip every last fragment of metal off of her best friend and have her back to normal. But Mecha Lilac's armour was very tough. Carol's claws did no damage to her no matter how hard she scratched it. The roboticized Avalician then pushed the wildcat away from herself, giving her ample space so she could spin around on the spot and swing her tendrils around in a deadly Dragon Cyclone attack. She began edging towards the wildcat like an oncoming tornado, making Carol back away fearfully. Milla summoned another shield to protect Carol but Mecha Lilac just smashed straight through it as if it was made of glass rather than energy. She whirled towards her former friends and slashed them both with her sharp tendrils. Carol and Milla screamed in pain as large cuts were drawn across their bodies from the attack. They both backed away as Mecha Lilac continued to spin towards them. But before she could harm the cat and dog any further, General Gong charged in with his shield raised in front of him and he slammed straight into Mecha Lilac, stopping her lethal attack and throwing her down onto her side. Carol and Milla beamed, grateful to Gong for his aid. The panda smiled at them and then turned back to Mecha Lilac.

"Sorry to do this dragon girl, but it's for your own good." Gong said apologetically.

"I hope there's a way to reverse what's been done to her." said Neera, running up beside Gong so she could join in the fight.

"I bet our Mobian friends know how to save her." Carol said optimistically, "We'll ask them when we subdue Lilac."

"A good idea indeed my friend." Gong agreed.

The Avalicians stared Mecha Lilac down as she poised herself, ready for another attack. Gong raised his shield, ready for the inevitable Dragon-Boost that he was sure to receive from Mecha Lilac, an attack he really needed to shield himself from. Neera pointed her ice sceptre, preparing to freeze the robo-dragon if necessary. Carol and Milla both stood side by side, ready to receive another attack from Mecha Lilac. But the strange thing was that Mecha Lilac wasn't actually preparing to charge. She stood up straight, out of her battle stance, and just stared down the heroes as if weighing them all up before making a move. This obfuscated the heroes. Gong even lowered his shield slightly. What was Mecha Lilac doing? Why was she just staring at them? Suddenly, they received the answer. Mecha Lilac's optics blinked for a moment and then she droned.

"Scan complete: Analysis: Avalician lifeforms contain strengths and abilities that make them powerful opponents. Conclusion: I will be evenly matched with them. Solution: Swap opponents."

Then without so much as another attempt at taking down her former friends, Mecha Lilac turned on her heels and sped off towards the Mobians. This made Carol shake with horror for she knew that Mecha Lilac would be a deadlier opponent for the Mobians than Mutant Sonic. They weren't used to Lilac, they were unfamiliar with her, therefore she would be less predictable and harder to take out. She was determined to make sure her roboticized friend stayed fighting her and the other Avalicians but it was too late. As Mutant Sonic fought against the Mobians, Mecha Lilac rushed in and Dragon-Boosted Tails, Knuckles and Amy onto the ground. Mutant Sonic was surprised at this but he didn't dare to complain. He was appreciative that his mechanical ally was helping him. He then turned and saw the Avalicians coming towards him. He thought that if Mecha Lilac was attacking the Mobians now then maybe he could fight the Avalicians instead. He bared his teeth and lumbered to them.

"Now I dine on Avalician flesh!" he bellowed gleefully, thundering towards his new prey like a Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing a Triceratops.

Carol and Milla screamed in terror as Mutant Sonic came at them and they turned to run away. Gong and Neera kept on running though, the general raising his shield so he could slam into Mutant Sonic and knock him down. But Mutant Sonic was much stronger than Gong was. The two collided with each other but the mutated hedgehog knocked Gong over as if the panda was just a puny obstacle in his way rather than anything serious. Neera fired some ice beams at Mutant Sonic but to her astonishment, they had very little effect on him aside from just making him snarl angrily. They didn't freeze him upon impact. The mutated hedgehog turned and roared at Neera, raising his hands and opening the mouths in the palms. He fired a bunch of energy blasts from his hands, hitting Neera and taking her clean off her feet. The priestess cried out as she hit the tarmac, wincing in pain. Dail saw this and cried out for Neera. He and Spade ran towards Mutant Sonic and just as he turned around to see them coming, Spade threw a volley of cards at the monster's face. The cards struck home but didn't do any damage to him. His skin was too tough for his cards to penetrate. Roaring savagely, Mutant Sonic lumbered towards the panda brothers and grabbed them both before they could get out of the way. Baring his teeth, he bashed the two pandas together and threw them across the battlefield, straight into Torque who was running towards him to take a shot at him. The Chaser was knocked down onto his back with the two pandas sprawled on top of him. Carol and Milla both pounced on Mutant Sonic like a pair of wolves trying to take down a deer. They were hoping to weigh him down and pin him so he would be easier to hit but Mutant Sonic was much too strong for the two girls. To him, they weighed nothing on his shoulders. He swung his arms up and threw the cat and dog off himself, causing them to cry out as they were flung away. They both landed on top of each other, groaning in pain as they tried to shake off the impact. They knew Sonic was powerful having seen him fight earlier but fighting him as a mutant creature, they were beginning to wish he was still on their side.

They picked themselves up, shrugging off the earlier impact and they braced themselves as Mutant Sonic fired energy blasts at them from his hands. Milla blocked the attacks with an energy shield and Carol sprinted around on all fours like a charging tiger as Mutant Sonic kept firing at Milla. She jumped up and began rapidly kicking Mutant Sonic in the face. The monstrous Mobian roared in annoyance as he was hammered by the wildcat. He backhanded her down onto the ground with a huge, powerful hand and left Carol grimacing in pain. Milla ran towards Mutant Sonic to help Carol but the mutated hedgehog seized her with a huge hand and allowed the mouth on his palm to bite her. The dog howled in agony and Mutant Sonic then threw her down onto the ground just beside Carol. Carol forced herself onto her knees and began rubbing the bite wound on Milla's torso to try and make her feel better.

"Man...Sonic's not so cool when he's against us..." Carol muttered.

"I hope we can save him...like when you and Lilac saved me from my mutation." Milla said nervously, straightening her fur and wincing from the pain in her wound.

"Me too Milla." Carol nodded.

Over to the Mobians, Tails, Knuckles and Amy braced themselves as Mecha Lilac came at them. The roboticized dragon spun around in a terrifying metallic tornado, her bladed tendrils scything through the air as she spiraled towards them. They had seen how powerful Lilac was normal and they dreaded to think just how dangerous she was now she was a robot. The trio dodged as Mecha Lilac came at them, missing them by centimetres. The moment the Robolician stopped her attack, Knuckles charged towards her and threw a terrific uppercut that could smash a boulder into fragments straight into the dragon's head. Mecha Lilac reeled from the punch but she was mostly undamaged by the attack. She regained herself and slugged Knuckles in the gut, not pulling any punches as if determined to make it hurt as much as possible. The echidna doubled over and grimaced, clutching his stomach. Tails flew towards Mecha Lilac and kicked her several times in the head to make her back away from Knuckles. But after landing a good few kicks on the mecha dragon, Mecha Lilac suddenly clawed at him, catching him by the feet and throwing him off-balanced. Tails cried out as he was lurched to one side and he fought to keep his balance and remain airborne. This gave his mechanical opponent the chance to Dragon-Boost straight into him, knocking him down onto his side. Amy ran in to defend Tails just as Mecha Lilac prepared to finish him off but the mecha Avalician saw her coming and Dragon-Boosted straight into Amy, throwing her backwards and causing her to drop her hammer. Amy landed on her back and winced as pain flooded through her spine. Mecha Lilac picked up Amy's hammer and swung it around just as Rouge came flying towards her in a screw-kick attack. The hammer struck the bat and sent her falling down out of the sky and into the remains of a destroyed Egg-Pawn. Rouge groaned as she hit the hard metal of the debris and allowed herself a moment to let the pain ease.

Shadow decided to get involved, knowing that he was insanely powerful and he could well destroy Mecha Lilac if he got too carried away. For Avalice's sake, he would hold back so the planet's hero wouldn't be killed. He spin-dashed Mecha Lilac, slamming into her like a spiny bowling ball. The mecha-dragon cried out as she was hit, her cries sounding more like a metallic screech. Shadow then threw some Chaos Spears at the roboticized dragon but Mecha Lilac spun around on the spot, whipping the spears away with her tendrils. Shadow skated towards his opponent, ready to slug her in the stomach and bring her down onto her knees. But the robo-dragon was ready for him. As soon as Shadow was at the right distance, she spun around again and whipped the Ultimate Lifeform in the cheek with his tendrils. The blades left a nasty scratch across his face that bled furiously and made Shadow wince in agony. Before he could recover, Mecha Lilac kicked upwards and sent him hurling through the air in a rainbow arch. He crashed down just beside Rouge, who had just stood back up. Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream all ran over to Shadow and Rouge and they watched as Mecha Lilac prepared to attack again.

"If Lilac's this tough as a robot, I hope we never fight her when she's her old self..." Tails murmured.

"It was quite cunning of her and Sonic to swap opponents." Amy muttered disapprovingly, "We're not used to Lilac so she's gonna be harder to beat than Sonic. Same goes to our Avalician friends."

"And it's not helped by the fact we have to go easy on them since they're our friends after all." Knuckles grumbled, "This fight is gonna quickly slip out of our control and then we'll be done for!"

"I agree." Tails said, nodding, "We need to retreat, find a safe haven to recuperate in and then build the resources we need to restore Sonic and Lilac to normal. I'm sure G.U.N. can help us de-roboticize Lilac."

"And Miss Lilac's friends will probably know how to restore Mr. Sonic." Cream suggested, "Milla was mutated by Brevon and Miss Lilac and Miss Carol saved her so I'm sure they know how to save Mr. Sonic."

"You bet Cream." Amy agreed, "Let's get outta here and get building what we need!"

The Mobians all agreed that this was the best idea and thus, they turned and began to flee. But first, they ran over to Carol and the others just as Mutant Sonic knocked down Carol and Milla, shot Torque, Gong and Neera and uppercut Dail and Spade into the air. The group picked themselves up, ready to continue fighting but Tails called over to them and caught their attention.

"Guys! We're falling back!" he called, "We're gonna work on restoring our friends instead of fighting them!"

"That's the best idea I've heard all day!" Carol chuckled, "Come on everybody, we're outta here!"

The others didn't hesitate for a moment. They much liked the idea of restoring Sonic and Lilac rather than risking their lives against them. They all got back to their feet and ran off, leaving Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic to stare incredulously, confused as to why their opponents were suddenly running away. They weren't going to let them escape though. They had been ordered to hunt them down and slaughter them all by their masters and they were going to do just that. Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac all sprinted after their prey, keen to catch them before they got away. But the Mobians and Avalicians had expected that to happen. Neera Li aimed her ice sceptre and fired a beam of ice at the road just in front of her pursuers. The beam struck and froze a section of the road, turning it into essentially an ice rink. Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac stepped onto the frozen road and slipped, their feet sliding out underneath them and causing them to fall all over themselves. This gave the heroes enough time to get away and disappear into the city, but not before Shadow and Knuckles banded together to build up a wall of debris consisting of broken robot pieces, damages cars and chunks of fallen building from the earlier earthquake to further slow them down. The heroes then ran on, disappearing from sight as Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac picked themselves up and tried hard not to slip over on the ice again. The eventually decided to make it easier for themselves by just breaking the ice. Mutant Sonic blasted it and Mecha Lilac stomped on it, breaking the ice to shards and making it easier to gain traction on the road again. Now they could stand without slipping, they ran towards the wall of debris. They broke through it effortlessly, tearing through rubble and metal as if it were paper. They then stopped and looked around, wondering where their prey was. They had evaded them for now...but they were not going to give up so easily. The hunt...was on...

* * *

Meanwhile on the Egg Dreadnought, Eggman and Brevon were watching with glee as their enemies-turned-allies began to hunt down the rest of their enemies. They could see the whole thing through Mecha Lilac's optics via visual contact. They had witnessed the whole fight between the mutant hedgehog, robo-dragon and the Mobians and Avalicians and had enjoyed every minute of it, pleased with how successful their plan was turning out. They weren't happy that they had been eluded but the scientist and warlord weren't losing hope just yet. They knew that their new allies would not rest until their prey was hunted down and killed. They would just have to wait for their demise to come. They took a moment to laugh maniacally and gloat about their success.

"Now that's what I call a successful experiment!" Eggman chortled.

 **"It would seem that our methods have worked marvelously."** Brevon purred, **"The dragon girl is a functional killing machine and the hedgehog boy is a monstrous creature, both loyal to us and only us."**

"And no matter how much their friends beg, they don't heed their pleads and continue trying to kill them! Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!" the fat scientist gloated, "They're corrupted beyond saving that's for sure!"

 **"That was our intention after all, to make sure the process was as thorough as possible."** the warlord agreed, **"And we have succeeded in that regard. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...their motley crew has no chance of stopping us now."**

"I know! When they're dead, we can spread our reign of terror to the rest of the world!"

 **"And the sides of Mobius and Avalice will have no choice but to bow down to us!"**

"And with the Kingdom Emerald still in our hands, we'll be unrivaled by anybody in terms of power!"

 **"And those who try to challenge our power will be sorry they ever dared to stand up to us!"**

Both scientist and warlord cackled malevolently, gleeful about how well they were doing and how successful their plans were turning out. It seemed that luck had been on their side ever since their worlds had been combined together. They had yet to suffer a crippling defeat thus far and the only threats to their rule were now on the run with by far the worst kind of hunters tracking them down. They were on top of the fusion world with nobody to stop them and nobody who could possibly match up to them. Maybe now it was time for either side to back-stab one another and claim the world for themselves. Eggman was already thinking about calling Metal Sonic up to the bridge so he could have him slaughter Brevon at the same time Brevon was thinking about getting his knife out and beheading Dr. Eggman right there on the spot. But something was stopping them from doing the deeds. Their common sense. They wanted to watch their enemies die first before they betrayed one another. It wasn't a good idea to get rid of one another before their enemies were dead. They could lose a potential advantage they had other their enemies. One side knew the Avalicians better and the other knew the Mobians better. For now, they still needed each other.

However, Eggman was still a little concerned about something. He had taken in Sonic and Lilac's warnings about how the world was breaking apart. He was still sure they were making it up to try and scare him and his comrade but at the same time, the scientist felt they had been deathly serious about the whole thing. Was the fusion world unstable and going to destroy itself? Should he betray Brevon now and restore their worlds to normal before they were killed and Mobius was gone forever? He didn't really need to betray him he reasoned. He could just politely ask about it and see if Brevon was OK with the whole idea of making sure the world was safe. He cleared his throat.

"So Brevon, forgive me for being a little edgy but...I'm still a little concerned about Sonic and Lilac's ravings about the world being unstable." he said cautiously.

The alien warlord shot a death glare over at the human scientist, making Eggman recoil in surprise.

 **"Why is that then?"** he snarled, **"I thought we both agreed that they were just trying to manipulate us! Do not tell me you actually believe them?"**

"No, not at all!" Eggman protested, "But, I just thought that it wouldn't hurt to...you know, analyze the planet and make sure that it is safe! Just so we can forget all about the whole thing! That's all..."

Brevon stroked his chin in thought for a moment and reasoned that there was nothing really wrong with making sure that Mobius and Avalice weren't breaking apart. If he was to have a conquered world under his belt, the fusion world had to be stable after all. He nodded.

 **"I think it's perfectly acceptable to go ahead with this."** he deduced, **"I'll send Syntax to observe everything and report back to me when she's made her calculations."**

"I'll send Orbot and Cubot to join her." Eggman volunteered, "They'll confirm for us once and for all that Sonic and Lilac were just being delusional and thus, give us reason to relax and enjoy our conquest."

 **"Indeed doctor."** Brevon said, a slight air of menace to his voice.

With the two reaching an agreement, Eggman and Brevon both turned to face their comrades, who were silently waiting for orders in the room.

"Orbot, Cubot, you two are to investigate the planet and report your findings to me!" Eggman barked.

 **"You're to join them Syntax and do the same thing."** Brevon ordered **"We wish to find out if the hedgehog and dragon were being serious about their raving before their transformations began."**

"We'll get to it right away boss." Orbot said nonchalantly.

"We-a won't-a fail you boss!" Cubot exclaimed, now sporting an Italian accent.

"We will be back soon masters." Syntax said politely, "Goodbye for now."

The three designated investigators lefts the room and headed on out to carry out their tasks. Brevon and Eggman watched them leave and then turned back to the main screen so they could watch how the hunt was proceeding...

* * *

Meanwhile, the Mobians and Avalicians had fallen back to probably the best place they could hide in until it was time to come out. G.U.N. headquarters. It was the perfect place to hide in. Not only did G.U.N. have technology that they could possibly use to restore their friends, but the place was such an obvious place to hide that Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic wouldn't dare look in it. They would expect them to be much less obvious than this so they would become a victim of the old trick "So obvious it's overlooked". Upon arriving at the headquarters, the G.U.N. soldiers were quick to let them in and give them shelter in their laboratory. They had been informed that Sonic and Lilac had been turned evil via mutation and roboticization and that they had to be kept on the alert for them, but were not to kill them. The soldiers understood and promised that Sonic and Lilac wouldn't be killed if they came looking for the heroes in G.U.N. headquarters. Now the heroes had gathered themselves together in G.U.N.'s laboratory. The laboratory was as hi-tech and futuristic as any laboratory you could think of, littered with technology, tools and machine pieces. This place was a tinkerer's paradise and heaven for scientists. Tails had always wondered what the place that manufactured G.U.N.'s amazing technology was like. And now he was here, seeing it all for himself. There was a lot of space as if the laboratory was meant to house a large number of people. There were also a lot of worktops and desks to work at and huge cabinets that contained all kinds of equipment. Torque looked around, impressed with what he was seeing.

"Whoa...I never would've guessed Mobius was this advanced." he breathed.

"We're not as far behind the times as some might think." Tails chuckled, "We're in a mechanic's paradise here, which is just perfect for what we need."

"So I guess now we just rest in here and start building something to restore Sonic and Lilac to normal kiddo?" asked Carol curiously.

"Yeah, pretty much." Tails said casually,"When Eggman roboticizes people, we have an invention known as de-roboticizer. One zap of that and Lilac will be back to normal. They don't take long to build so we should have one done pretty soon. Tomorrow morning perhaps."

"Provided the planet doesn't break apart..." Torque noted cryptically.

"I'm sure it'll hold out for that long." Amy said optimistically, "Anyway, we've got Lilac's cure all sorted but what about Sonic? How do we cure him? We don't know anything about mutations..."

"When Milla got turned into a monster Amy, me and Lilac just fought it until we destroyed the creature." Carol explained, "It was more like a shell built around Milla than an actual creature. But I don't wanna do that to Sonic...I can't risk us killing him since what we did left Milla close to death. Whether Sonic would survive like Milla did or not, I don't wanna risk. Lilac wouldn't wanna risk it either."

Milla shuddered as if wanting to ignore the horrible memories of what had happened last month. She was glad that they wouldn't be repeating this on Sonic.

"So what do we do Carol?" asked Amy desperately.

"I'm the one with the answer." said Torque, "The Chasers, a group of heroes that I'm a part of, built a device known as a cleansing rifle a while back. One shot from the rifle would cure ANY mutation. We've been using them on many heroes corrupted by Brevon over time."

"Can you build one here Mr. Torque?" asked Cream hopefully.

"Oh yes. We designed the rifle to be compatible with ANY technology that we used to build it." the Chaser confirmed, "We can be on any planet that has technology and we'll be able to build it."

"My, my, we're fortuitous aren't we?" Rouge purred, "Eggman and Brevon can say goodbye to their new minions that's for sure."

"Almost as quickly as they recruited them." Dail agreed, "And not a second too soon too. Let's get onto it."

"We'll get building immediately." Tails declared, "Everybody can help with the de-roboticizer and cleansing rifle. Let's do it to it!"

The next few minutes were spent getting out pieces of technology and boxes full of tools in order to begin construction work. G.U.N. had even been kind enough to donate a couple of flying drones to give Tails and Torque more pieces to work with and Torque had been given an old rifle for extra parts and to give him a head start in building the rifle. Now that everything was set up, the Mobians and Avalicians were quick to get to work. They couldn't waste time, not at this stage. The planet was breaking apart, Sonic and Lilac were hunting them down and Eggman and Brevon were still out there. They had to work fast and get their inventions ready so they could then storm Eggman and Brevon's base with their world's biggest heroes back on their side. Then they could put their worlds back to normal and save themselves from disaster.

Tails and Torque worked as hard and as fast as they possibly could, not once stopping to rest and using up every precious second that passed. It had now been an hour since they had started and they were still refusing to stop. Tails had just finished the base of the roboticizer and was working his way up while Torque was making whatever necessary adjustments had to be made in order to convert the G.U.N. rifle into a cleansing rifle. The G.U.N. rifle had been very useful in speeding up production for it pretty much gave him a gun already. Tails had had to start from scratch despite having a few parts already built for a de-roboticizer on him but Torque had been generous enough to spare a moment or two to further help him along with the de-roboticizer. After an hour had passed, they both wiped their sweat-soaked foreheads but didn't dare waste a moment. They didn't even stop when Cream and Milla both came into the lab with a snack for them, which was a tray of cookies and a glass of milk each. The girls had left the tray on the desk just in case they needed them though.

Tails tightened a few bolts as he fitted in a primary generator component into the de-roboticizer. The generator was one of the most important parts of the machine and he had to make sure it fitted perfectly. He stuck his tongue out as he twisted the screwdriver, further pushing the screw down into the metal L on the side of the generator. He smiled as the screw went down as far as it would, pinning the generator to the base. Torque fastened in a few components and attached a cooling duct into the rifle so the weapon wouldn't overheat. It was compulsory for a cleansing rifle to have one since they tended to heat up very quickly when used. He attached the cooling duct carefully so that it didn't fit in awkwardly and get in the way of any circuitry that the rifle needed in order to work. Then he wiped his head again and sighed. He was getting exhausted and as much as he didn't want to stop working, he knew that there was no excuse for over-exerting himself. Tails seemed to be in agreement as he straightened up and wiped his head. They both picked up the glasses of milk and drank the whole lot to regain their strength.

"You boys looked like you really needed that." Carol snickered humorously.

"I'll say. It's not good for you to work like this and not have a rest." Amy said firmly.

"We know." Tails muttered, picking up some cookies, "But we're just so desperate to beat the clock at this moment. Can you really blame us?"

"We have no idea when this world's gonna break apart so we can scarcely afford to rest." Torque noted.

"That is true but I'm sure you'd rather live to see the world saved right?" Amy noted.

"Please Amy, we'll be fine." Tails insisted, "There's no need to start mothering us."

"Come on kiddo, she's just looking out for ya." Carol said defensively, "Kinda like...like how I often look out for Lilac..." she suddenly murmured as if she was a mile away.

"I had no idea we were so similar." the pink hedgehog said surprise, "Not only do Mobians and Avalicians look very similar but...we have similar relationships with one another."

"We sure do Amy." the wildcat agreed.

"It's almost as if...Mobius and Avalice are sister planets." Tails observed, "So different and yet so alike. I guess that's what makes us meeting one another so special."

"Yes. In a way, it's like you're meeting your sister race." Torque nodded, biting into a cookie, "All this just means that Mobius and Avalice need to be saved all the more. It's bad enough losing one world but losing a world and a sister world as well is even worse."

"Too true..." Amy agreed, "The fact our worlds are so similar to each other just makes the need to save them all the more personal. We're not just losing our races, we're losing possibly the closest thing to distant cousins or a sister race either side has."

A long silence followed this statement as everybody took in what Amy had said. It was all so true and nothing that anybody could argue or disagree with. Mobius and Avalice were as important as each other for many reasons and all the realization had done is made the heroes of both worlds more determined to undo the fusion process and restore their worlds to normal once and for all. Tails and Torque finished the snack that they had been kindly given and were quick to get back to work. But then suddenly, the laboratory started to shake violently as another earthquake hit Shangopolis. The Mobians and Avalicians all cried out and clung onto the worktops as the room shook. It felt like somebody had picked up G.U.N. headquarters and started shaking it like somebody shaking their piggy-bank for any signs of cash inside. Some of the tools fell onto the floor but Tails and Torque held onto their inventions to make sure they didn't fall off. The earthquake lasted a few tense minutes before coming to a stop. The room returned to normal and stopped shaking. The earthquake had stopped though nobody in the building dared to explore and see how much damage had been done by the quake. Had more buildings collapsed? Had the road cracked some more? It wouldn't matter when everything was restored to normal so the heroes didn't need to worry too much about it. But what they did have to worry about was if they would save the world before it would break apart and wipe everybody out. Tails waited until his heart rate had slowed down before he spoke.

"Golly that was sudden..." he cried.

"At least a long time passed in between this one and the last." Torque observed.

"I just hope that doesn't mean the earthquakes a building up to something more chaotic and destructive by taking their time..." Knuckles muttered, "Sometimes that happens with earthquakes..."

"Indeed so." Gong nodded, "We need to get a move on before we're finished!"

"I just hope the earthquake didn't damage Mr. Sonic or Miss Lilac!" Cream squeaked nervously.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Neera said reassuringly, "Lilac has survived worse than a mere earthquake and your Sonic was able to withstand being frozen while he's in this mutated state. I think we can rightfully assume he's OK."

Cream nodded, agreeing with the priestess.

"Say, I didn't know you had a heart." Amy noted, "You always seemed rather blunt and straight forward. Maybe even a little cold."

"I prefer to be the way I am but I do know when it's time to be more heartfelt." Neera said kindly.

"I'm glad to hear that Neera." Amy said approvingly.

Neera smiled modestly. It felt good to show off her softer side sometimes.

With no more time to lose, Tails and Torque immediately got back to work, keen to finish the job before the earthquakes got any worse. The two workers picked up the fallen tool boxes and resumed their progress. Not another word was spoken as the work continued. It was a race against time...and Tails and Torque were keen to win the race...

* * *

Meanwhile, Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac were still searching for their prey. They had been searching for a while and they still hadn't found anything. They were beginning to get irritated. Their masters demanded that their enemies be killed and they had spent half their time looking for them instead of killing them. Eggman and Brevon would be losing their patience with them. They couldn't disappoint their masters. Mutant Sonic peered inside a car, his huge teeth clenched as he sniffed for any signs of Mobians or Avalicians. His senses were amplified by the mutation. He could smell anything and anybody from miles found nothing inside, the car was empty. Angry, he picked the car up with his bare hands and threw it into a building nearby. The car crashed through the window and tore down some of the wall the window had been mounted in, leaving an ugly, unsightly hole that ruined the building's appearance. That made him feel better.

Mecha Lilac picked up a sewer lid and looked down through the open manhole to scan the sewers. Her scanners were long ranged so she could scan most of the sewers without even having to enter them. Her scanners picked up nothing. The sewers were obviously devoid of any Mobian or Avalician. Mecha Lilac pulled a grim face as she got up out of the sewers and put the sewer lid back on. She turned to Mutant Sonic.

"Statement: There is nobody in the sewers." she responded.

"I won't look there then." grumbled Mutant Sonic.

He stomped over to a building and flung open the doors.

"Hey, is there anybody in there?!" he bellowed.

He received no answer, suggesting that the building was deserted. Growling in annoyance, he fired shots out of the palms of his hands and blew the doors to pieces as well as shattered a few windows. Mecha Lilac could understand his frustration. She was beginning to get annoyed at their lack of progress in finding the heroes. How could she please her masters if she was failing to do the job? Shrugging, she walked over a pile of debris that had once been a building. It had fallen over during the earthquake that had startled everybody in the G.U.N. lab earlier. She hoped with all her circuitry that a Mobian or Avalician had been crushed by the falling building. Mecha Lilac scanned the wreckage for any signs of her former friends and Sonic's former friends. Her scans came up empty. Nobody had been crushed by the ruined building. She kicked at the debris as if blaming it for their misfortune. If only those impudent animals hadn't eluded her and Mutant Sonic! Mutant Sonic lumbered over to Mecha Lilac, growling softly. The growl was barely disguising his annoyance.

"If I don't find them brats that our masters want dead, I'm gonna go crazy!" he moaned, "Where the hell are they?!"

"Response: Location Unknown. Solution: Find their location." Mecha Lilac prioritized.

"But we can't find their location!" Mutant Sonic ranted, almost tempted to whack his comrade across the head in frustration, "How are we meant to find them in a city this big?!"

"Testimony: we either wait for the earthquakes to bring the city down on them or continue tracking them down." the robo-dragon responded, "Or..."

She fell silent as if for dramatic effect.

"...we force somebody to find them for us." she suggested.

Mutant Sonic's hideous, toothy mouth curled into a grotesque smile as he took in the idea.

"Now you're talking!" he growled happily, "Maybe we could take some poor sap hostage and make them find them for us!"

"Analysis: That is a good idea." Mecha Lilac approved.

"And I know just who we can use!" Mutant Sonic declared, "How about the President of Westopolis?"

"Analysis: Acceptable target. We can use him." Mecha Lilac agreed, "Suggestion: We can also use Mayor Zao for hostage purposes too."

"Oh yeah!"

"Suggestion: We could even use their positions as hostages to force the Mobians and Avalicians to come out of hiding and face us."

The mutated hedgehog let out a soft growl of pleasure, saliva dripping from his oversized fangs.

"Yes...it's bound to work!" he cried, "We'll please our masters very much with this!"

"Response: We will indeed." the robo-dragon replied.

With their plan now formulated, Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac headed on further down the road, heading towards the president and Mayor Zao's political palace. They would take them hostage and then demand that G.U.N. and Zao's forces pass the message on until it reaches the Mobians and Avalician heroes. They would demand they show themselves or they would kill the two leaders. And when they came out of hiding, they would kill them all and eliminate all threats to their master's reigns once and for all. The heroes wouldn't worm their way out of this one...no matter what they tried to do...

* * *

 _ **We now conclude Act 2 as time is ticking and the heroes are working against the clock to get their friends restored. Will they succeed? Or is time against them...?**_

 _ **Join in next time to begin Act 3 as our heroes orchestrate "The Rescue"...**_


	11. Chapter 10: The Rescue

**Act 3**

 _Chapter 10: The Rescue_

 _Five minutes ago…_

Orbot, Cubot and Syntax took in their surroundings with meticulous attention to detail and every piece of land carefully analysed. They had been tasked with finding out if Sonic and Lilac had been trying to frighten their masters by spewing out some conspiracy about the fusion world they now inhabited breaking apart. They were taking this task with the utmost seriousness, not daring to make any mistakes whatsoever. Their masters wouldn't be very lenient on them if they failed. They had been traipsing around the planet for about an hour and they hadn't found anything that suggested the planet was breaking apart. At most, they had come across rather chaotic looking scenes as they observed Shangopolis. There were destroyed buildings, piles of debris and cracked roads all around. They saw the familiar piles of destroyed machines and robots that had fallen in their attempts to kill Sonic, Lilac and their friends. Orbot shuddered, glad that he wasn't among the dead in this rather disturbing scenario. Syntax fired a scanner beam around the area and observed every tiny detail. She observed the minerals that had gone into the metals of the city and the tarmac of the road and even the atoms that made up the scenery. Not one detail was missed as her highly advanced scanners worked away. Orbot and Cubot's scanners were less powerful but still potent enough for their scans to be details and accurate. The two robots took in the scene of carnage around them, wondering what in the world had caused it. They certainly hadn't been responsible, that much was certain. Orbot began to feel uneasy. Maybe Sonic and Lilac hadn't been trying to scare them after all?

"Mamma Mia!" Cubot exclaimed, "What in the world caused-a this-a mess-a signore?!"

"I'm almost dreading to find out the answer…" Orbot murmured, "Those buildings have collapsed like sandcastles over there!" he exclaimed, pointing to a pile of debris that belonged to what had once been buildings that had stood tall and proud in Westopolis and Shang Mu.

"Do you-a think it was an earthquake-a?" the yellow bot asked curiously.

"Impossible my feeble-minded comrade." the red bot scoffed dismissively, "There is no way that this was an earthquake. Westopolis isn't an earthquake zone remember?"

"But what about-a the city it-a fused with?"

"Hmm…good point. I don't know about that…"

Orbot turned over to Syntax, who was still scanning their surroundings.

"Excuse me fair maiden." he said politely, his English accent making him sound more posh and dignified then he normally would've been, "You know the city that fused with Westopolis? Well, is that an earthquake zone?" he asked.

"Negative." Syntax replied, "Shang Mu was not an earthquake zone. However, the scans prove conclusive that this was indeed the result of an earthquake. Nothing else could've caused the cracks in the road or the crumbled buildings. Such occurrences are the result of an earthquake."

Her tone was very matter-of-fact with not a hint of a personality hidden in those words. Orbot and Cubot began to feel nervous. An earthquake had struck the city? How could this be if the two cities that made up Shangopolis weren't earthquake zones?

"I do beg your pardon Syntax but…how is this possible?" Orbot asked.

"Just because the cities were not earthquake zones before, it does not mean the rule applies to the fusion world." Syntax noted, "It is quite possible that the planetary structure and natural balance has changed as a result of the fusion process. Earthquakes could easily occur here where they didn't before."

Her tone was once again, matter-of-fact, making it impossible for Orbot and Cubot to disagree or argue with her. This made them even more nervous.

"Do you think the earthquakes are a bad sign?" Orbot asked.

"Judging from what I have scanned, it has approximately been an hour and twenty minutes since the earthquake that has caused these damages has occurred." the fem-bot responded.

"Mamma Mia you're-a smart-a bot!" Cubot exclaimed delightedly, "Signora Syntax, you are a very intelligent-a machine-a! How are you so-a smart-a signora?"

Syntax ignored him, seemingly uninterested in such compliments.

"So the earthquake could well be a new thing but nothing to worry about." Orbot theorized.

"That is possible." Syntax agreed, "The hedgehog and dragon girl's claims are not conclusive thus far."

"Eggman and Brevon will like this." the spherical-head robot said brightly.

"I'll say-a signore!" the cube-head robot added, "That Sonic and-a Lilac-a were crazy to think that we would-a believe them-a for a minute-a! I knew they were lying the whole-a time-a! They just wanted ta trick us into-a giving them the Kingdom Emerald-a! Well we didn't fall for it-a! No siree! We-a knew it was-a trick-a! And now we've-a proven that they were crazy! I bet they'd be-a so annoyed-a ta see that we didn't fall for their obvious trick-a!"

Syntax looked over at Orbot. If she had a face, she'd likely be looking very annoyed as Cubot continued rambling mindlessly.

"Excuse me for being impolite Orbot…but does your cuboid companion ever cease his overly verbose communicating?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not my dear." Orbot sighed, "That Cubot's always been a motor mouth and sometimes, it gets worse whenever he gets a new voice. I don't know why Eggman doesn't bother fixing that voice chip of his."

"If he was Brevon's robot, he'd be void of any glitches such as his broken vocal chip." Syntax stated.

"I imagine." Orbot nodded, "So what is your master like in terms of technology? I've always been curious to know about that since we joined forces…"

He was rudely cut off by a terrifying rumbling sound that boomed around the city like thunder. The red robot's head snapped around as he searched for the origin of the sound. Cubot looked around frantically, feeling very worried as the rumbling echoed. Syntax remained stoic and emotionless but scanned the scenery, wondering if she could pinpoint what was happening and why. Then suddenly, the world began to shake as if some cosmic sized hand had grabbed the planet like a basketball and started shaking it. Orbot and Cubot shrieked with horror as they were rocked about like peas in a can. The shaking was very violent, as if the whole city was trying to tear itself apart for no reason. Buildings shuddered and the debris on the ground began jumping up and down as the terrain shook heavily. The cracks in the road began to widen, about three inches added to their width thanks to the quake. The buildings began creaking as their structures weakened. Windows shattered and pieces of metal began to crumble. Some small buildings nearby began to crumple, folding in on themselves as if they were being sucked down a huge tube underneath them. An incredible noise split through the rumbling as the buildings cascaded down onto the ground. The three robots watched incredulously. They also watched as a nearby skyscraper tilted slightly and then crashed down on top of some buildings below it, flattening them into the ground like a fly swatter crashing down on a fly. The carnage that happened all around them was incredible and terrifying all at once. The earthquake seemed to go on for an eternity although it had only been ten minutes that had passed by the time it finally stopped and everything was still again. All that was left was the carnage that had been caused by the terrifying tremor.

Orbot and Cubot were left shuddering and shaking as if unable to get over what had just happened. They were terrified by what they had seen and hoped that it wouldn't happen again. Syntax didn't seem fazed in the slightest but given her emotionless personality and expressionless features, it was impossible to tell. She looked over at Orbot and Cubot, who were still shaking madly. They were hugging each other as if their lives depended on each other.

"You can cease your frightened shuddering. The earthquake has ceased." Syntax announced.

Orbot and Cubot tried as best as they could to get themselves to calm down. Their shaking seemed to ease as they let go of one another.

"Thank goodness…" Orbot gasped.

"I thought-a I was going ta have a melt-a down-a!" Cubot squealed.

"What happened?! What was that all about?!" the red, sphere-headed robot shrieked.

Syntax didn't answer. She instead just fired another scanning beam and allowed the beam to sweep over every inch of landscape to absorb as much information as possible. She even set her scanners to reach down below ground to see if she could find any information she couldn't possibly get above land. The whole process took several minutes. Minutes that felt like hours to Orbot and Cubot. The scanning eventually ceased and Syntax turned to face them. She had finished and now had a conclusive result to report.

"It would appear that the Mobian hedgehog and Avalician girl were not in fact trying to scare us with their cryptic warnings." she announced, "The planet is breaking apart. The earthquakes are a result of the planet's instability. There is great structural stress in the planet and the very core of the planet itself. Scans indicate that the core is throwing up huge amounts of energy that is exploding out through the surface as earthquakes."

Orbot and Cubot thought they were going to malfunction.

"W-w-w-why i-i-i-is th-th-that h-happening then?" Orbot asked worriedly.

"The answer is more complex than you might think." Syntax explained, "The planet isn't as unstable as you might imagine. It isn't even the planet that's the reason it's unstable. Rather it is the two planets that fused together to make it."

"I don't-a get it signora…" Cubot muttered, scratching his head.

"Mobius and Avalice were fused together by a Chaos Control." Syntax continued, ignoring Cubot, "And the world is trapped in this limbo. But according to my scans…the planets are trying to break free of the limbo. It seems limbo worlds are not meant to have planets in them and bringing it here has broken the laws of time and space. This planet is an anomaly that is trying to fix itself. Mobius and Avalice are trying to break out of the in-between zone by separating from each other. As they're doing so though, vast amounts of energy are exploding up and causing the planet to crumble. The earthquakes are tearing through everything. The planet is, as the organic tongue would say…tearing itself apart."

Orbot and Cubot nodded, understanding every word they had been told. They had never anticipated this to happen. Nobody could've predicted such an outcome. How were they to have guessed that fusing Mobius and Avalice and bringing it to the limbo would cause this catastrophe that was slowly unfolding every second that passed? It looked as if Brevon and Eggman's beautiful plan and glorious paradise was a flux and that it had to be undone if they had any chance of survival. Leave everything as it is, and they would be all killed as the two worlds tore each other apart. Their masters were not going to be pleased to hear this news at all.

"Well…I guess that's it then." Orbot said grimly, "We're going to have to report to our masters…"

"They're not-a going to be very pleased-a signore!" Cubot fretted.

"It will not matter how they feel. They will have to separate Mobius and Avalice before our lives are all cancelled." Syntax said bluntly.

She then turned and floated off, heading back to the Egg Dreadnought. Orbot and Cubot quickly scampered after them. How much time did they have left until Mobius and Avalice broke away? Whatever it was, the robots were certain that they could fix the damages…before it was too late…

* * *

 _Now..._

At least half an hour had passed since the earthquake had returned to menace Shangopolis.

The defensive wall that had been built up to defend Mayor Zao and the president from any possible attacks from Eggman and Brevon had been standing for a long time. The tanks and helicopters from both Mobius and Avalice were still on duty, their weapons primed and ready to fire at any possible threat that dared to try and attack their leaders. Nothing had come near the political palace ever since their defeat at the hands of the Egg Dreadnought earlier. Both G.U.N. and Shang Mu's Royal Army were considering abandoning their task and leaving the palace unprotected since they had nothing to protect it from. But both Commander Tower and the Lead Shang Mu Guard vetoed the idea since the enemy could strike when they least expected it. Lowering their defences was the worst thing they could do with that in mind so as boring as it may be, they had to remain vigilant no matter how long it took for something to happen. Commander Tower's stern, aged eyes fixated on the horizon, taking in every little thing they swept over. Not a single detail missed his keen vision. The Lead Guard cupped a hand above his eyes and scanned the terrain. Nothing was happening. They had all been shaken by the earthquake earlier but thankfully, everything was normal again and they could focus on keeping an eye out for their enemies. Both forces couldn't help but feel worried about the earthquakes though. They had been getting worse and worse every time they had happened, which wasn't a good sign in anybody's eyes. Commander Tower turned to the Lead Guard.

"What do you think these weird earthquakes are about?" he asked, more wanting to start a conversation than anything.

"Your guess is as good as mine sir." the Lead Guard said grimly, "I have no idea. They happen at certain times and they do a lot of damage that's for sure. But this earthquake happened about an hour after the last one."

"I know. That's what makes it strange, if not completely bizarre." Tower murmured, "Do you...do you think Eggman and this Brevon person he's working with are responsible?"

"It's a theory I guess but how could they possibly make an earthquake happen?" the Lead Guard noted.

"In this fusion of our worlds, anything's possible I reckon..."

"Possibly...I hope that the two scoundrels aren't trying to destroy our city."

"If they are then I'm sure Sonic and his friends along with your world's heroes will stop them."

"Let's hope so, for our sakes..."

A tense silence fell over G.U.N. and the Royal Army after the conversation had ended. Nobody had anything else to say, not that talking would do much good anyway. Then suddenly, about five minutes later, Omega suddenly pointed ahead with a huge clawed hand. The robot's senses were fully alert, his optics fixated on what was ahead.

"There is something coming towards us!" he exclaimed.

"What is it Omega?" Tower asked quickly, suddenly very alert and ready for action.

"It is hard to tell from this distance...but it appears that Sonic the Hedgehog is coming." Omega announced, watching the oncoming thing in the distance, "And he is with the dragon girl from the other planet we have combined with."

"That's good news." the Lead Guard said, "They must be coming to tell us something."

"Wait a minute other worldly creature..." Omega suddenly said, holding up a hand and observing the horizon again, "Something...is not right. Sonic's size has increased...and the dragon girl looks robotical."

The watched as Sonic and Lilac continued to get closer to them and saw that they weren't exactly themselves. He took in Mutant Sonic's grotesque appearance and Mecha Lilac's menacing robotical design. They both looked as if they were ready to tear the entire world apart if it dared to stand in their way. They were coming in fast with hostile looks on their faces. They weren't here for a friendly chat, they were here to kill. Omega recoiled.

"Danger, danger! Sonic and dragon girl have been corrupted!" he exclaimed, "Sonic appears to have been horribly deformed and the dragon looks to have been roboticized!"

"No..." Tower gasped, his face turning very white with shock, "Eggman and Brevon's gotten to them! They've turned them against us!"

"We must save them from their corruptions!" the Lead Guard announced, "We cannot use the heavy artillery otherwise we will kill them! We must subdue them and find a way to reverse what has been done to them!"

"Agreed." the G.U.N. general murmured, "G.U.N., prepare for battle. Lethal force is acquired but you are NOT to kill Sonic and Lilac!"

"Same goes to you men!" the Avalician guard barked at his troops.

Their men nodded understandingly and clocked their rifles, ready to fire. Their guns were set to stun mode so they wouldn't accidentally kill Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac. Their worlds wouldn't be saved if they were dead after all. Omega rather begrudgingly kept his weapons sheathed and stored away since any one of his weapons could prove fatal. He would use his brute strength to fight the two off. The two armies braced themselves as Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac charged towards them. The mutated hedgehog was taking big bounds on all fours like some kind of alien gorilla and Mecha Lilac was rushing just above the ground via a jetpack in her back. As they got closer, Tower and the Lead Guard could see just how horribly Eggman and Brevon had messed up Mobius and Avalice's greatest heroes. They both took a moment to grieve for them and vow that they would be saved before they sprang into action. G.U.N.'s soldiers acted first, shooting stun blasts at Mutant Sonic. Shang Mu's soldiers fired stun blasts at Mecha Lilac, trying to make sure every shot fired counted and they didn't miss. But the corrupted heroes were much too quick for them. Mutant Sonic dodged the blasts with surprising speed and Mecha Lilac flew up out of the way, every shot missing her. She then spiralled down in a Dragon-Cyclone attack towards the two armies. The soldiers were thrown down as they were stricken by the spiralling Robolician. The mecha dragon's bladed tendrils slashed many of them as she hit them, leaving many soldiers with horrible cuts on their faces. The G.U.N. soldiers aimed at Mecha Lilac but before anybody could shoot, Mutant Sonic fired some plasma beams out of his hands, striking them hard and knocking them down like skittles hit by a bowling ball. There was a chorus of pained cries from the soldiers as they were hit. Commander Tower whirled around and aimed a pistol at Mutant Sonic, his cold eyes narrowing at him.

"Sorry to do this Sonic but it's for your own good..." he murmured.

He fired a stun shot at the mutated hedgehog but unfortunately, Mutant Sonic saw the blast coming and he picked up a felled G.U.N. soldier to use as a shield. The shot hit the soldier and knocked him out instantly. Tower gasped, angered that this had happened and he aimed at Mutant Sonic again. But the mutated hedgehog threw the stunned soldier straight at him, knocking him down onto his back and causing his shot to go wild. The elderly man grunted as he hit the ground, the stunned soldier's body lying on top of him. Mutant Sonic laughed mockingly at the general's condition and he lumbered on towards the palace. Mecha Lilac tried to follow but had to start weaving and twirling around in order to avoid being shot by the two armies that were trying to stun her. The Lead Guard aimed a rifle at Mecha Lilac, peering through the scope as he prepared to shoot.

"You'll thank me later." he said, his voice sympathetic and soft.

He fired a shot at the Robolician but Mecha Lilac heard the gun fire and she ducked down, leaving the shot to whizz over her head and hit one of the Avalician soldiers instead. He collapsed instantly upon being shot. The Lead Guard gasped and tried again but Mecha Lilac Dragon-Boosted straight into him, hitting him squarely in the abdomen and throwing him across the battlefield. He landed down heavily onto his back, groaning in pain. With him out of the way, Mecha Lilac ran off after Mutant Sonic. But they had one more obstacle to deal with before they could reach the president and mayor. E-123 Omega boosted straight into them at a speed that surprised the both of them. He had both his hands opened and he seized both mutant and robot as he flew into them. He then rotated his whole body up, his arms remaining where they were as his body turned over. As soon as he landed on his feet, he swung his arms up and over, throwing Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac through the air and onto the tarmac ahead. They hit the ground heavily and bounced up slightly. But despite the heavy impact, neither mutant or robot was hurt from the throw. They picked themselves up and dusted themselves off as if nothing had happened. Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac both regarded Omega as he advanced towards them and knew that they had to take him out if they had even a ghost of a chance getting near the president and mayor. Mutant Sonic bared his teeth and Mecha Lilac narrowed her optics as the heavyweight robot stomped towards them.

"You are lucky that I am not permitted to use my arsenal." Omega crowed, "You would be vaporized by now."

"You can't kill us!" Mutant Sonic sneered, "You'd end up killing your world's greatest hero!"

"And you'd be held responsible for the murder of Avalice's greatest hero too." Mecha Lilac added, hoping that would force Omega to back down.

"I know, that is why I fight you with just by brute strength." Omega droned, "You must be stopped so that you can be saved from Eggman and his comrade's corruption."

Activating his jets, Omega launched himself at Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac with his huge hands opened and ready to snatch them both up again. Snarling viciously, Mutant Sonic scampered towards Omega while Mecha Lilac flew towards him in a Dragon-Cyclone attack, closing the distance between themselves and their opponents very rapidly...

* * *

Meanwhile, Tails and Torque were still busying themselves with their inventions, completely unaware of the battle that was going on outside. Half an hour may have passed since they felt the earthquake but to them, it could easily have been just five minutes and every nerve-racking second that passed meant that there was a chance another earthquake could strike. And the next one that struck could well be the finishing blow. Never in their lives had the fox and Chaser felt that it was this important they got their inventions done in time. Time was something they didn't have right now, unlike their previous occasions of building gadgets and gizmos to benefit themselves and others. As they worked, they felt every second ticking by and hoped against all odds that the earthquakes wouldn't happen again for a while. Tails could feel the sweat beading down his forehead as he tightened some more bolts inside the de-roboticizer. He was so keen to get the machine done that he didn't even dare stop to wipe his forehead. Torque seemed equally as keen, never so much as stopping to glance at Tails to see how he was doing. Their friends watched, hoping that they would be done in time.

"Look at the two brainiacs so hard at work." Carol said with admiration, "You can proper feel the work that's going into them gizmos."

"I'm feeling nothing but their tension." Knuckles said grimly, "It must be a killer having to work like this, knowing that every second that passes brings us closer to disaster."

"If only Eggman and Brevon hadn't decided to add insult to injury by turning my best friend and Sonic into bad guys…" the wildcat muttered, "We could be over on the Egg Dreadnought and fixing this whole mess right now!"

"You and me both Carol." Amy agreed, "It still hurts my heart to think of my poor Sonic as a gruesome monster terrorizing innocents against his will instead of helping us save the planet he is always on hand to protect. I wonder what he must be feeling like right now…"

"I imagine he can't be feeling very good about it." Neera said softly, "It must feel awful to be an abomination against nature and fighting against what you stand for…"

"It is." Milla said, shuddering, "I felt horrible having to fight against Lilac and Carol as a monster working for Brevon!"

"I bet Miss Lilac must be feeling the same as you…" Cream said sympathetically, hugging the hound to ease her nerves, "She's fighting against you like how you fought against her. It must be so horrible for her as well as Mr. Sonic!"

"And that's why with any luck, Tails and Torque will get their gadgets completed and we can save them from the nightmare they've been subjected to." Shadow said, "I have a feeling they won't be long until they're done." he added, noticing how well the de-roboticizer and cleansing rifle were coming on.

"And then when the two dweebs are restored, we can take down Brevon and his new buddy at last!" Spade declared, "It's a pity I don't have the Red Scarves with me, they could've been good back-up to even the odds…" he murmured, allowing himself to think for a moment about his gang. Where were they and were they alright? That was something he hoped to find out.

"Red Scarves? Are they buddies of yours or something?" Rouge asked inquisitively.

Spade was about to answer but all of a sudden, the G.U.N. lab computer flashed into life and the frantic face of a G.U.N. soldier appeared on it. Tails and Torque stopped what they were doing in order to see what was wrong. They could tell from the soldier's frightened face that it wasn't good news.

"What is it?" Tails asked.

"You know how you told us to look out for a mutated Sonic and a roboticized Lilac?" the soldier asked, "They're here, attacking the defensive wall built up to defend the president and Mayor Zao! They're currently battling E-123 Omega but we're not sure if we'll be able to hold them off! We may need back up!"

The heroes all gasped, immediately working out what the two corrupted heroes were up to. They must be trying to harm the president and Mayor Zao but G.U.N and Shang Mu's forces were keeping them occupied! They had to help them before they were overwhelmed by Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac.

"But we haven't finished our contraptions yet!" Torque protested, "We need more time to finish them so we can restore them to normal!"

"You two keep working." Shadow ordered, "The rest of us will help Omega keep Sonic and Lilac distracted. Maybe we'll even subdue them so we can bring them here for you two to restore them."

"Good idea actually." Torque agreed, nodding his head, "OK then, me and Tails will remain here while the rest of you help to keep Sonic and Lilac away from the mayor and president."

"We'll do just that bud." Carol declared, "Good luck on finishing your gadgets."

"Thanks Carol." Tails said brightly, "And…good luck with you and the others too."

He delivered that last sentence as if feeling he was never going to see any of his friends or Lilac's friends ever again. He and Torque watched as the Mobians and Avalicians filed out of the lab to take part in the cryptic battle that was unfolding outside. They were left alone in the lab as everybody left. The lab suddenly felt very quiet and isolated with just Tails and Torque together to do nothing but continue working. They looked at each other and nodded, both thinking the exact same thing: Let's finish it. With no words to say, Tails and Torque resumed their progress. They were almost done. They just had a few more things to do with their gadgets and they would be finished. But would it be too late by the time they were finished…?

* * *

The two hero groups approached the battle scene just in time to see Mutant Sonic suddenly pick up Omega with one hand as if the heavyweight robot weighed nothing in his hands. Such a feat made Shadow and Rouge stare incredulously at the mutated hedgehog lifting Omega up so easily. How strong had Brevon made him?! If he was strong enough to lift Omega then they dreaded to think what else Mutant Sonic could pick up with ease. The former Eggman lackey waved his arms about frantically, trying to cause Mutant Sonic to overbalance so he could put him down. But the mutant-hog had a firm grip on the walking arsenal, using both his fingers and the mouth in his palm to hold on tight. Then suddenly, the grotesque monster drew his arm back and threw Omega like a basketball towards a platoon of G.U.N. soldiers that were lining up to shoot at him. Omega let out a loud, mechanical wail as he sailed through the air, his limbs gesticulating wildly. He crashed into the soldiers and bowled them all over. If this had been a game of bowling, this would've counted as a strike. Omega lay on top of the poor soldiers, wondering if he could get up again. Mutant Sonic just laughed tauntingly at his mechanical opponent. Amy, Cream, Carol and Milla all cringed as they saw this happen whereas the others stared in amazement, unable to believe what they had seen.

"Dude…that must've hurt!" Carol hissed.

"I'm amazed Sonic's that strong now!" Amy gasped, "I mean Omega's certainly not lightweight! He weighs a tonne!"

"And yet Sonic can toss him around as if he weighs as much as a paper bag." Gong murmured, "Good thing we're here to help now!"

"Indeed we are." Shadow agreed, "Now listen everybody, we can NOT let Sonic and Lilac swap opponents again. That's what gave them the advantage earlier, remember? So I propose that we have teams of Mobians and Avalicians both fighting against the two. Thus they can't swap opponents."

"Good idea Shadow." Rouge said approvingly.

"Humph. Who put you in charge stripy?" Spade snorted.

Shadow ignored Spade.

"So how shall we form our teams?" he asked, "We'll have to make them pretty even in terms of strength and skill."

"Well both teams should have at least one power member and one member that flies for starters." Neera announced, "And both teams would benefit with having a speedy member too."

The others nodded agreeably and began to divide up into their teams. Shadow was the leader of Team 1 while Dail was leading Team 2. A moment later, the two teams were made up with Team 1 consisting of Shadow, Carol, Rouge, Neera and Knuckles while Team 2 had Dail, Amy, Milla, Cream, Gong and Spade. They would also get Omega to help out in the fight. With the teams formulated, they both charged towards their opponents. Mecha Lilac was just about to Dragon-Boost straight into a tank, perceiving it as a threat, but before she could spring into action, she saw the Mobians and Avalicians coming towards her and her comrade. Her optics narrowed and she grinned gleefully.

"Analysis: The plan didn't go as expected. But the result is satisfactory…" she crowed, "Prioritizing: Destroy all threats to master's rule."

She sprinted towards Team 1, leaving Team 2 to take on Mutant Sonic. Omega picked himself up and watched as Shadow and his team mates charged into Mecha Lilac and knocked her down. He clanked nosily over to the fight, keen to get involved especially since his two team mates Shadow and Rouge were in the fight. Mecha Lilac grunted as Shadow spin-dashed into her, throwing her across the battlefield and causing her to land on her back nosily from the impact. She cart-wheeled over and landed on her feet, screeching to a halt with her claws digging into the ground to slow her down. She curled into a ball and Dragon-Boosted towards her opponents, missing them as they dodged her attack. She stopped herself so she could attack again but Rouge caught her completely off-guard by screw-kicking her in the back. The roboticized dragon landed flat on her face, wondering what had hit her. She picked herself up, growling in annoyance just as Carol threw an uppercut into her face. The punch was so powerful that the wildcat considered herself lucky she hadn't taken Mecha Lilac's whole head off. The Robolician stumbled backwards but managed to remain standing.

She retaliated by slugging Carol in the gut, causing her to double over. Mecha Lilac then seized the tomboy feline by the arms and swung her straight into Rouge just as the bat attempted to screw-kick her again. The two girls crashed down to the ground and sprawled over each other. Mecha Lilac was about to attack again but she cried out in surprise as Knuckles stampeded towards her and rammed into her with his shoulder. The Robolician fell onto her front, grunting from the impact and just as she tried to get up, Knuckles grabbed her arms and forced them behind her back to keep her pinned down. But he was forced to let go as her jetpack suddenly spewed out a flame, erupting straight up from her back. The echidna leapt away to avoid being scalded or burnt and Mecha Lilac jumped up onto her feet. She roundhouse kicked Knuckles in the face, knocking him down but she had no moment to celebrate as Neera walloped her with her sceptre. The priestess was a hard hitter and Mecha Lilac felt the impact full on as she was hit. As she staggered, Neera fired icy boomerangs at her to force her down onto the ground. Mecha Lilac was hit but seemed refusing to fall down. She Dragon-Boosted towards Neera but before she could hit the she-panda, Shadow spin-dashed into her and sent her hurling away. Mecha Lilac careened towards Omega, who caught her in his hands and threw her down into the ground, making sure he didn't throw her too hard. Shadow glanced over at him, acknowledging that Omega was taking part as well, and turned his attention back to Mecha Lilac.

Amazingly enough, she was still willing to fight. She picked herself up again and prepared to continue fighting while her enemies braced themselves.

Over to Team 2, Mutant Sonic stampeded towards them with his jaws gaping wide as if he was a hungry wolf about to pounce on its prey. He threw himself towards his opponents, letting out a blood-curdling snarl that made them all recoil in fright. But Gong was ready for him. He raised his shield and allowed the mutant hedgehog to crash face-first into it. The shield was tough, leaving Mutant Sonic very dazed and confused as he slumped onto the ground, groaning in pain from the slam. He quickly shook it off and clawed at the general, scratching his shield as the panda defended himself again. Amy then suddenly sprang forward and walloped her corrupted love interest in the face with her hammer. Even in his mutated form, Mutant Sonic still felt the power behind Amy's hammer blow. He stumbled backwards but he recovered just in time to catch Amy's hammer as the hedgehog tried to hit him again. His hand closed around the hammer head and he yanked it out of Amy's hands. He swung it and walloped her straight into General Gong. The she-hog cried out as her hammer hit her and she flew into Gong. Luckily, the panda's bulk softened her landing as she hit him and sent him tumbling backwards. Mutant Sonic sneered and ran towards the two but he was tackled from behind by an aerial dive-bomb from Cream. The rabbit's feet slammed into the back of the mutant-hog's head, throwing it forwards and causing him to tumble over. He rolled across the ground and came to a stop, lying on his stomach as he halted.

He picked himself up and snarled viciously as Cream came at him again. He aimed his palms and fired at the rabbit. Cream squealed and flew out of the way as the deadly energy shots soared towards her. He was soon distracted away from Cream as Milla summoned an energy block to her hands and tossed it straight into Mutant Sonic's head. The block slammed against him, throwing him forwards as if he'd been punched really hard. The furious beast roared his disapproval and he turned to face Milla. But he didn't get the chance to attack her as Spade and Dail boosted towards him. They both kick-slammed him in the side, sending him staggering sideways. He quickly recovered but he was forced to hold his arm up to defend himself as Spade threw a volley of cards at him. The cards ricocheted harmlessly off of his arm due to his hard exterior but they weren't meant to hurt him necessarily. They kept him distracted long enough for Dail to throw a powerful uppercut into the mutant-hog's chin, snapping his head backwards and causing him to stumble. Mutant Sonic was briefly shaken but he shrugged off the blow and he shot Dail and Spade with an energy blast out of his palm mouths. The two pandas cried out loud as they were hit and brought down onto their sides. They convulsed with pain, trying to fight off the impact of the shot. Mutant Sonic lumbered towards the two, ready to rip them to shreds as he bared his claws. But as he came near them, Gong threw his shield into his head. The shield hit him so hard that it knocked him down onto his stomach. Dail and Spade stood up and nodded at Gong, thanking him for the save.

Despite the punishment he was receiving, Mutant Sonic wasn't ready to give up yet. He forced himself back onto his feet and bellowed a thunderous roar as he prepared to continue fighting.

Meanwhile, Mecha Lilac spiralled through the air in a Dragon Cyclone attack towards Shadow. She cleaved through the air, her body nothing more than a purple blur as she came spinning towards the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow waited until Mecha Lilac was in range before spin-dashing straight up into her. Their attacks were evenly matched so all that ended up happening was Shadow and Mecha Lilac ricocheting off each other and landing down onto the ground. Shadow was surprised that the Robolician Dragon Cyclone was so powerful. He dreaded to think how powerful Lilac was when she wasn't roboticized. He watched intently as Mecha Lilac prepared to come at him again. But before she could do anything, Carol threw herself at her roboticized best friend. She unleashed a volley of fisticuffs onto Mecha Lilac, attacking so heavily and rapidly that the mecha dragon had no chance of defending herself. She tried to block Carol's punches but the wildcat was punching too quickly for her to block even half of her blows. Then the tomboy feline drew her leg back and kicked Mecha Lilac as hard as she could, taking her off her feet and throwing her backwards. Mecha Lilac hit the tarmac, groaning from the impact. She wasn't down for long as she stood back up and glowered at Carol. She was about to attack again until she saw that a G.U.N. soldier's laser rifle was lying nearby. She grinned deviously, thinking it would be very useful to use in the fight. She picked it up, primed it and then started shooting rapidly at her opponents. The Mobians and Avalicians all dove for cover as the laser shots came flying at them.

However, not everybody would be vulnerable to the lasers. Omega was heavily armoured, making him tough to penetrate. He simply took the shots and ploughed straight through them as if they were merely pebbles being thrown at him rather than laser fire. He reached Mecha Lilac but before he could snatch the rifle from her, Mecha Lilac suddenly swung it at him like a club. The rifle smashed to pieces against Omega's tough body but the wallop had been so hard that the top-heavy robot staggered and almost fell over. Mecha Lilac kicked upwards, hitting Omega and knocking him over. The former Eggman lackey lay on his back, staring up at the sky as if almost confused by what had happened. Mecha Lilac raised her claws and aimed for the robot's torso section, aiming to claw it open and rip out his vital components to render him useless. Her hand slammed down into Omega's chest, her claws sinking straight into the metal but just as she was about to tear the metal away, Knuckles grabbed her by the tendrils and pulled her back. The resulting pull caused Mecha Lilac to leave a few scratches on Omega's chest but nothing serious that would damage him too badly. Knuckles swung Mecha Lilac away from Omega, sending her hurling towards Shadow who struck her down to the ground with a Chaos Spear. Mecha Lilac felt as if she'd been shot by a powerful gun as she was hit by the spear. She lay on the ground for a moment, trying to collect her bearings. She then slowly started to pick herself up but she never got the chance to attack again. Neera Li aimed her ice sceptre at Mecha Lilac and fired a beam of ice at her. Because the Robolician was weakened, she offered no resistance as the ice beam struck her and froze her instantly. She was now trapped in a huge block of ice, completely immobile and unable to move. Neera panted but she managed to force a smile to her face.

"Whew…we've done it. We've subdued Lilac…" she gasped.

"Good shot honey." Rouge said with a wink, "That'll definitely hold her until we can de-roboticize her."

"Now we just need Team 2 to take Sonic out and we're good to go." Carol noted.

"We could provide back up if they need it." Shadow declared, "We'll keep guard over Lilac until further notice."

Team 1 formed a protective circle around the frozen Mecha Lilac, making sure that she couldn't possibly escape if she somehow broke free of the ice. Shadow glanced over to see how Team 2 was doing and saw Mutant Sonic fly backwards as he was hit by a powerful uppercut from Amy's hammer. The mutated hedgehog hit the ground, bounced up into the air and then hit the ground again. It took him about five bounces to finally come to a halt on his stomach about twenty metres away from Amy. He got up on all fours, a little shaken by the she-hog's powerful attack. As Sonic, he had always been afraid of the girl's hammer. As a mutant, he hoped never to feel the power of that hammer if he was ever restored to normal. He shook off the attack and aimed his palms at Amy. The hedgehog prepared to defend herself but it did her no good as Mutant Sonic shot at her. The energy beams hit her and threw her down onto her back painfully. She even dropped her hammer in the process. As she tried to get back up, Mutant Sonic pounded towards her. His jaws were opened wide, ready to snatch her up and eat her alive. He could already imagine sinking his enormous teeth into the girl's puny body. She'd never stand a chance. But his easy meal wasn't as easy as he thought. Milla stepped in front of Amy and summoned an energy block to her hands. Mutant Sonic rammed into it, pushing against Milla and trying to force her back. The dog refused to budge as Mutant Sonic pushed against her. She held her ground and then caught the mutated hedgehog off-guard by firing a laser from her shield into his face. To him, it felt as if he'd been punched really hard. Mutant Sonic wailed and clutched his face, leaving him vulnerable to a powerful charge attack from General Gong.

The general slammed straight into Mutant Sonic, knocking him straight off his feet and onto his side. Mutant Sonic picked himself up and growled menacingly; irritated that he had been knocked down again. He then did something that Gong hadn't been expecting. Instead of attacking him, he turned and ran towards the defensive wall consisting of G.U.N. and Shang Mu tanks. The general was perplexed but it didn't take him long to realize that his opponent was up to something. He watched with utter amazement as the mutated Mobian grabbed a tank and _proceeded to pick it up without so much as straining!_ The terrified tank driver jumped out of his vehicle, not wanting to end up smashed inside when Mutant Sonic inevitably threw it. Laughing maniacally, Mutant Sonic threw the tank towards his opponents. The huge, heavy machine hurtled through the air like a giant, twenty-tonne basketball. Team 2 all screamed in horror and dove out of the way as the enormous vehicle crashed down onto the ground. The road cracked under the impact and the ground shuddered. The Mobians and Avalicians even felt the shockwave tremble under their feet as the tank crashed down. In a single throw, it had been reduced to a scrap pile of tangled metal and broken treads. Mutant Sonic laughed, pleased with the carnage he'd caused and he ran towards the gobsmacked heroes. But they had recovered from the shock of seeing a tank come hurling towards them and Gong threw his shield at the mutant-hog's feet. The shield hit his feet, causing him to trip over and roll over and over like a ball across the road. He came rolling towards Dail and Spade, who boosted into him and pile-dived onto him. Mutant Sonic lay flat against the ground, wondering what had hit him. He was about to get up but just as he raised his upper body off the ground, Amy ran to him and slammed her hammer straight down on top of his cranium with all the strength she carried. The hammer blow was heavy and powerful enough to finally, mercifully, knock the mutant unconscious. Mutant Sonic's eyes closed and he lay still. Amy panted, putting her hand over her heart as she caught her breath.

"I'm sorry Sonic…" she said softly, "Please forgive me…"

"Well done little girl!" Gong complimented, "You managed to knock him out!"

"I wish we didn't have to though…" Cream said, walking over to the unconscious body and patting Mutant Sonic's head softly, "Poor Sonic."

"At least we can fix him without any resistance from him." Dail said gently.

"I wonder if Tails and Torque are finished yet?" Milla piped curiously.

"We can find that out now our jobs are done." Spade said, sounding rather impatient, "Let's get back to the lab."

The others nodded and Gong quickly picked up Mutant Sonic and slung him over his shoulder. He was quite heavy, but not as heavy as Gong had been expecting. He carried the mutant with him as the others started heading off back to the lab. Team 1 could see that Mutant Sonic had been apprehended and now they could take Mecha Lilac back with them. Omega picked up the frozen Robolician and carried her as Team 1 joined Team 2 in going back to the lab. They were all pleased with each other on their successes. Now they were a few steps closer to saving the world. Shadow smirked smugly at Spade as he caught up to him, keen to get the chance to taunt him.

"I'm impressed." he sneered, "I thought you'd end up needing our help at some point."

"Sorry to disappoint." Spade muttered sarcastically, "Consider yourself lucky you didn't end up needing OUR help. That would've dented your ego wouldn't it?"

"Not as badly as me helping you would've dented yours." Shadow retorted.

"Now, now boys, let's save the man-fight for later." Rouge said firmly.

"We've not got time for that nonsense." Neera muttered.

The two women nodded at each other as if saying "You said it" with just their heads and not their mouths. Shadow and Spade ignored each other as they and the others continued to carry home Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac. As they left, G.U.N. and the Royal Army were left with nothing else to do but resume their positions and tidy up whatever mess had been made in the ensuing battle…

* * *

Later, the two hero groups returned to the G.U.N. lab with the frozen Mecha Lilac and unconscious Mutant Sonic. As they entered the lab with their prizes, Tails and Torque both glanced up to see what was happening. They had just finished building the de-roboticizer and cleansing rifle and were thrilled to see that their friends had come back with just the two people they needed. Their faces lit up as Mecha Lilac was set down gently onto the floor and Mutant Sonic was lowered down beside her.

"Wow, you actually did it!" Tails exclaimed, "Great job guys!"

"Thanks little guy." Carol said brightly, "We were totally awesome out there!"

"And all thanks to Shadow coming up with a clever plan." Rouge added, winking at her co-agent.

"What was his plan like?" Torque asked.

"I divided us into teams that had a mixture of Mobians and Avalicians so that we had a mix of familiar and unfamiliar to make us harder for them to take out." Shadow explained, "Worked better than I had expected I'll admit."

"At least it worked!" Milla piped excitedly, "Now we can restore Lilac and Sonic to normal! That is…if the thingies are done." she added.

"Oh they're ready alright." Tails declared, standing back to show off the de-roboticizer, "We just finished them about five minutes ago."

"You definitely bought us a lot of time." Torque said brightly, "Well done guys."

"Aw, it was nothing." Amy said modestly, "I'm still ashamed I had to knock out my poor Sonic…" she mumbled, looking over at her beloved.

"I wasn't too keen on freezing Lilac either." Neera said sullenly, "But it was for the best. Now they can't escape as we restore them."

"That's certainly true." Tails nodded, "OK Torque, ready to go?"

"I was the moment we finished our gadgets." Torque announced, "Let's do it.

He picked up the cleansing rifle and clocked it, priming it for use. Tails lifted the de-roboticizer machine off of the table and set it on the floor just in front of Mecha Lilac. Neera started to unfreeze her so that she wouldn't still be frozen after she was de-roboticized. Tails waited until the ice had melted away and left her upper body free before he activated the machine. Torque watched as Mutant Sonic began to stir, just coming out of unconsciousness. Seeing this as the perfect time, he aimed the rifle at him and fired. The two beams hit the corrupted dragon and hedgehog and instantly began to transform them back to normal. Sonica and Lilac both cried out as they were hit. Lilac's metal body began to transform back into flesh and bone and Sonic's mutated body began returning to normal. His quills and teeth shortened, his bulk lessened and his size withdrew. Lilac's claws became fingers, her hair was no longer bladed and sharp and her optics became eyes again. The two groups were amazed at how well the devices were working. It was like watching a hi-tech magic trick unfolding right in front of their eyes. It was one they were happy to be witnessing and one that Tails and Torque were proud to have "conducted".

A few seconds later, Sonic and Lilac's transformations were complete and they both lay on the ground, shaking for a moment before they became still. They were breathing normally, something that made everybody sigh with relief. They were alright and completely unharmed by the whole process. A few seconds later, the two heroes opened their eyes and sat up.

"Oh my gosh…that was so surreal…" Lilac slurred, sounding as if she was going to be sick.

"Never again…" Sonic croaked, trying to gain his bearing, "That was too freaky for words…"

"Sonic!" Tails cried excitedly, "Oh thank goodness you're OK!"

"Lilac!" Carol screeched, "We knew we could save you!"

The Mobians then all crowded around Sonic while the Avalicians all crowded around Lilac. The hedgehog and dragon both beamed and embraced their friends, pleased to be normal again and back with their friends and loved ones. The sweet, tender moment carried on for a minute with Sonic and Lilac both laughing cheerily as they were welcomed back.

"Guys! Thank goodness you're all alright!" Lilac cried.

"It's sweet to be back everyone!" Sonic said happily.

"We're glad you're not a monster anymore!" Amy shrieked, "And please forgive me for knocking you out, I really didn't want to…"

"It's alright Ames." Sonic reassured her, "You did the right thing. Though I will say, you've given me a bit of a headache!" he chuckled, rubbing his scalp.

"We're so happy you're back to normal!" Milla squealed, her tail wagging as she hugged Lilac.

"I hope you didn't mind when I had to freeze you Lilac…" Neera said apologetically.

"It's OK Neera. You had to stop me before I could murder any of you." Lilac said softly, "I'm glad you did it. You stopped me from becoming a murderer."

"How do you both feel?" asked Tails curiously.

"You both OK?" Torque asked concernedly.

Sonic and Lilac's faces both fell as they received the question. They both looked at each other as if needing support from one another before they answered.

"I feel horrible…" Sonic murmured.

"I echo that…" Lilac sighed, "I remember everything. Every. Little. Thing. Being captured by Metal Sonic and brought to Eggman and Brevon, me and Sonic being converted and then attacking all of you…"

"The mutation felt worse than being roboticized I tell ya!" the hedgehog exclaimed.

"And roboticization is something I hope I NEVER have to experience again…" the dragon shuddered.

"The worst part was when we were fighting against all of you…" said Sonic, "I was deep inside, trying to fight the mutation and stop myself from harming anybody. Even now, I'm still terrified over the thought I actually injured or killed somebody, if I have!"

"Being trapped in that robot body was so awful…" said Lilac, "I felt so cold, so trapped…and so helpless! I could only watch through my optics as I attacked you all! I will never forgive myself if I have a dead body on my hands!"

The dragon then began to shed some tears. The hedgehog on the other hand looked as if he was trying to repress his emotions and fight off the urge to cry.

"I'm so sorry everybody…I'm so, so sorry…" Lilac wept.

"I don't know how to apologize for all of this guys…" Sonic said shakily.

Carol and Milla gave Lilac sympathetic gazes as the dragon wept into her hands. Feeling tearful themselves, they both embraced the dragon and gave her a pair of shoulders to cry on. Torque even hugged Lilac as well, wanting to comfort her more than anything in the world right now. Lilac sobbed, letting out all the horror and distress she'd gone through at last.

"Sssh, sssh, it's OK Lilac." Carol said gently, "It wasn't your fault."

"Eggman and Brevon did this to you! They made you do this!" Milla declared.

"And we're gonna make sure they'll never hurt you again Lilac…" Torque swore.

Tails and Amy knelt down beside Sonic as the hedgehog struggled to keep himself from crying. They both hugged Sonic and the hedgehog finally broke down, allowing himself to weep as they hugged him. Sonic didn't like crying or showing weakness but right now, he couldn't help it and decided to just let it all go.

"Oh please don't cry Sonic…" Amy said, shedding some tears herself, "You didn't mean for this to happen."

"You don't have to be sorry for any of this." Tails insisted, "Eggman and Brevon are the ones who'll be sorry. And we're gonna make them pay for what they've done to you."

Lilac and Sonic both looked at their friends, their eyes still soaked with tears but they both managed to smile at them.

"Thank you girls…" Lilac said graciously.

"I honestly couldn't ask for more way past cool friends…" Sonic said kindly.

Their friends smiled, pleased to be the ones comforting them and making them feel better. Now Sonic and Lilac were back to normal, they could bring the battle to Eggman and Brevon and finally put an end to all of this before the world came to a terrifying end…

* * *

 _ **Yay, Sonic and Lilac are restored! But is it too late to save the world? Find out next time as our heroes get a well-earned "Recuperation Period".**_


	12. Chapter 11: Recuperation Period

**Act 3**

 _Chapter 11: Recuperation Period_

Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon stared at the blank screen before them in utter horror and anger. They knew what the blank screen meant. It meant that visual contact with Mecha Lilac had been terminated and if it had been terminated, it could only mean one thing. They had even seen it before the screen had gone blank, a beam shooting at Mecha Lilac. The moment the beam had hit her, the screen had gone blank. This meant that Lilac had been de-roboticized. And chances were, Sonic had been restored to normal too. Their beautiful plan to terminate their hated enemies had just crumbled to pieces before them. How could this be?! Their plan was brilliant and flawless! How could it have failed so badly?! And without so much as a dead body on their hands?! Eggman looked as if he was about to explode whereas Brevon clenched his teeth and thumped the control panel in anger. There was nothing more annoying to the two then a plan that was going so well and then suddenly beginning to go wrong.

 **"THOSE IMPUDENT WRETCHES!"** Brevon bellowed.

"They captured Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic and restored them to normal!" Eggman growled, "And just when they were doing so well for us! Gah, why must everything go wrong for me, even in my most triumphant moments?!"

 **"I am beginning to think it was unwise of us to corrupt the girl and hedgehog in the first place..."** Brevon sighed, **"I knew we should've killed them when we had the chance and yet I allowed my mind to be changed!"**

"So all of this is YOUR fault Brevon!" Eggman snarled, "Thanks to you, our worst enemies are back with their friends and now they're probably preparing to attack us now!"

 **"Don't you get condescending with me doctor..."** the alien warlord snarled viciously, **"Remember, failure can lead to success. I may have made a mistake by not killing the hedgehog and dragon when we had the chance...but now I've learnt my lesson and next time we capture them..."**

"No more chances, we just kill them straight away!" the scientist said delightedly, "Today isn't a total loss after all, we can still turn this around!"

The two villain grinned and nodded at each other agreeably.

"What's also useful to us is that we KNOW what those irritable brats will be up to next!" gloated Eggman, "It's obvious they'll come gunning for us again, with reinforcements no doubt. So while we've lost the one chance we had to kill our enemies, we're still a step ahead of them!"

 **"I'm not so sure about that doctor..."** Brevon said cautiously, **"A part of me thinks that those puny creatures will try something less predictable. I don't know how intelligent the Mobians are but the dragon girl and her friends do not seem to repeat their errors. That was what led to my downfall at the dragon's hands last month..."**

Eggman paused for a moment and put a finger to his lips, lightly stroking his moustache in thought. Brevon had a good point. Their enemies had already experienced a head-on attack with the Egg Dreadnought. They would be expecting something like that again and likely already planning a way inside. So in order to remain ahead of the game, he and Brevon would have to do something equally as unexpected. But what? The egg-shaped genius racked his overdeveloped brain for the answer.

"You know...we could slow them down with an army of robots and mutants and then use the Death Egg to destroy them completely..." the doctor mused.

 **"That would be a good idea."** the alien agreed, **"They won't be expecting a resistance from our armies while they charge into battle against the Egg Dreadnought. They'll be expecting to just find the Dreadnought, unguarded and waiting to attack."**

"So our heroes will be falling for a trap not even they could've foreseen!"

 **"And then their lives will be cut short by our hands..."**

The two villains cackled menacingly, utterly gleeful and confident about their plan. They knew that their armies likely wouldn't finish off their enemies but that wasn't their purpose. They would keep the resistance busy while they prepared the Egg Dreadnought's weapons and then completely annihilated them on the spot. It was guaranteed to work. Their reign over the fusion world was far from over. Any hopes their enemies had of saving it were doomed to failure. But then everything turned upside down for the warlord and doctor.

As they finished cackling, the door suddenly opened up and Orbot, Cubot and Syntax entered. Orbot and Cubot were extremely frantic, gesticulating seemingly for no reason and looking very flustered. Syntax, as usual, displayed no emotions. She just entered the room as if everything was normal. Her singular lens fixed on the two Eggman robots and in her mind, she began to wonder why Eggman had bothered giving his machines emotions. They looked ridiculous the way they were acting now, a total disgrace to machines. Eggman and Brevon stared at the frantic Orbot and Cubot, wondering what was going on.

 **"Doctor, kindly calm your ridiculous henchmen down this instant!"** Brevon barked.

"I will, I will!" Eggman exclaimed, frowning at the fact Brevon had just insulted Orbot and Cubot. Only he was allowed to do that!

He turned to face them and he barked.

"Orbot, Cubot, quit this nonsense at once or I'll have you sent to the scrapheap!"

Orbot and Cubot quickly stopped what they were doing and stood still.

"Our apologies boss." Orbot said casually.

"We've got-a real bad-a news-a doc!" Cubot cried.

"What is it it?" the fat scientist asked worriedly.

 **"No doctor, don't let your primitive sidekicks tell us what's happening."** Brevon rudely interrupted, **"Allow an actually intelligent and well-crafted machine do the job."** he sniffed, looking over at Syntax.

Eggman glared at Brevon angrily. He was daring to imply that his machines were stupid and primitive?! He was now looking forward to the moment he could stab him in the back. Brevon would deserve it for being so big-headed to him. Brevon looked Syntax in the optic and folded his arms.

 **"What is it Syntax?"** he asked, **"Have you and Eggman's..."machines"..."** he seemed to sneer as he said the last word, **"...finished studying the planet below?"**

"Indeed we have sir." Syntax announced.

 **"And what are your results?"** Brevon asked.

"Lilac and Sonic were NOT exaggerating when they cryptically warned us about the planet's stability." the she-bot replied, emotionlessly as expected from her, "The fusion world is trying to tear itself apart in order for Mobius and Avalice to escape the limbo we've trapped them in. In order to break free, they are trying to separate and in doing so, are damaging themselves and everything else around. The process is causing earthquakes that are ripping through the world and causing buildings to crumble and roads to crack. If we do not fix the world...we're all going to perish. This world is doomed to destruction my lord."

Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon stared incredulously at Syntax as if she'd just told them something utterly unbelievable like "There's a ship that looks like a police telephone box flying around". They both looked at each other as if wondering whether to believe Syntax or scoff it off. Eggman had gone very pale in the face whereas Brevon's face seemed normal. With his species, it was hard to tell if he was going pale or not. They couldn't speak for a moment. It was as if the news had taken everything away from them, even the ability to speak. They were very still and very tense as they took in this news. A long minute passed by and they were still frozen with shock. Syntax even scanned them to see if their health was still OK. They registered as normal so there was no reason to worry. Orbot and Cubot stared at them in puzzlement. Eggman looked as if he was going to faint and yet he hadn't done so yet. Brevon however seemed to calm down sooner, his face relaxing. It was as if the shock had flown over his head. He recovered the quickest and he finally gave Syntax a respond.

 **"...I see."** he murmured, **"Looks like we were wrong to dismiss our enemies after all. Thank you for this information Syntax."**

"You're welcome sir." Syntax responded.

Eggman finally snapped out of his shock and let out a comical yelp of horror.

"THIS IS HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE!" he exclaimed wildly, "We've made ourselves the perfect world to occupy and rule over and it's breaking apart?!"

 **"I should've expected this."** Brevon muttered, **"I remember hearing rumours that trying to put a planet in a limbo only results in catastrophe. Doing such a thing only results in the planet trying to break free, and often with disastrous results. There was a theory that limbos are unpopulated for that very reason."**

"So you knew this and neglected to warn me about it?!" Eggman snapped.

 **"As I stated doctor, they were RUMOURS I heard. I didn't know the rumours were true!"** the alien warlord retorted, his growling voice making Eggman recoil, **"I had even dismissed them as rumours! But it appears that I was wrong and now I've learnt the rumours are accurate. Us fusing this world together into the in-between zone was a mistake. A costly mistake..."**

"I'll say it's a mistake!" the overweight human shouted, "We're killing Mobius and Avalice and losing the world we were meant to be ruling over!"

 **"That does indeed seem rather unfortunate..."** Brevon murmured.

"It's more than unfortunate Lord Brevon! It's catastrophic!" Eggman squealed, "It's end of the world levels of disastrous! And yet you seem awfully calm about the whole thing! What's the big idea?!" he demanded.

 **"Well doctor, didn't it occur to you that we can fix the problem?"** Brevon retorted, **"We have the Kingdom Emerald with us. I'm sure the powers of the Master Emerald and the Kingdom Stone are enough to repair the planet and prevent it from tearing itself apart."**

"But then it'll try and destroy itself again!" the scientist retorted, "As you just said, we've learnt that worlds aren't meant to inhabit limbos because it's against the nature of space and time and thus, they try to break free of them! If we fix the planet, we'll just end up in an endless cycle where we're stuck just repairing the planet every time it breaks again! Tell me my lord, is this the kind of world you want to rule?! Huh?!"

Brevon clenched his teeth and growled furiously, angered at the fact Eggman seemed to be implying that he was being an idiot just for suggesting something that could've worked. But he took in Eggman's words and understood them completely. What was the point fixing the planet if it was just going to break again? Mobius and Avalice wouldn't rest until they were free of the limbo and nothing he and Eggman did could stop it. Science was not the answer to the problem this time around. He nodded.

 **"Fair points doctor..."** he agreed, **"So I believe that if we're to save ourselves...we should abandon this world and its people to its fate."**

Dr. Eggman stared at Lord Brevon as if he had been slapped across the face.

"Wh-at...? ARE YOU BEING SERIOUS?!" the overweight would-be-world conqueror exclaimed wildly.

"Affirmative doctor, Brevon's tone was utterly serious and matter-of-fact. He is not joking." Syntax replied matter-of-factly.

"I hate to agree with her but she's right." Orbot sighed.

 **"Just think about this logically doctor."** Brevon said, holding a hand up for silence, **"We have all the power we could ever want. The Kingdom Emerald will help us conquer other worlds so what will it matter if we lose this world? And if we abandon this world and leave it to kill itself and everybody on it, our enemies can't get in the way the next time! We'll be unstoppable and we'll find a new world that we can inhabit and rule over together! There is no reason at all for you to disagree with this plan."**

"But I wanted to make Mobius my Eggman Empire!" protested Eggman, "How can I make Mobius my Empire if it's gone?!"

 **"Then build your empire elsewhere doctor."** sniffed Brevon, **"Nobody said you had to build your empire on just Mobius. I conquered worlds. WORLDS doctor! My reign is beyond the realm of just one measly planet. It doesn't matter to me if I lose one world as long as there's always another world to conquer."**

"That is true but if I let Mobius die, that'll mean I wasted all my time trying to conquer it for nothing!"

 **"That is irrelevant. It will not matter when you can build your empire on another world without your supersonic nemesis to stop you."**

Eggman paused for a moment as he took this information in. He supposed that Brevon was making total sense. Why would it matter if Mobius was gone? He could always build his empire elsewhere. The universe was endless after all, there were billions upon billions of planets that he could set up his glorious empire on. Mobius kept rejecting him so why shouldn't he let it die? It would serve Sonic and friends right for constantly getting in his way. And without Sonic, he would have no trouble setting up his empire. He would be victorious at last! Then again...it wouldn't feel much like his Eggman Empire if he did that because he would be building it on a foreign world. It wouldn't feel like home to him. Also the alien worlds he tried to conquer might be just as bad as Mobius, maybe even worse and he'd just end up repeating the status quo for nothing. The scientist couldn't accept Bevon's proposal. But he knew he couldn't outright refuse to his face. Brevon could quite possibly kill him on the spot and just take the Egg Dreadnought for himself, thus leaving Mobius to die. He had to be subtle about this. He had to catch him off-guard and then he'd be able to take the Egg Dreadnought for himself. He'd then use the Kingdom Emerald to restore Mobius and Avalice to normal. He didn't care about the latter planet anymore as long as his planet was still alive for him to conquer. Plus it meant Lilac couldn't try and bother him along with Sonic. After a long silence, Eggman nodded at Brevon.

"I understand." he murmured, "Please though...can you give me a moment alone to think about this? Thinking about leaving my own planet for dead is not something I can do very quickly."

 **"Sentimentality...always a weakness that ruins what potential there is to be had..."** Brevon sighed, **"Very well doctor. You may have a moment. Though I'm not sure how long we have left until this world is gone forever."**

"My calculations from earlier estimate we have approximately an hour and possibly a few minutes extra before the world destroys itself." Syntax added helpfully.

"I'll make sure that I've made my mind up before then." Eggman promised.

He then waved and walked out of the room, commanding Orbot and Cubot to follow him, leaving Brevon and Syntax alone in the control room to do what they pleased. The door closed as the scientist and his hench-bots left. Now alone, Brevon turned to Syntax.

 **"Access the Dreadnought's security systems."** he ordered, **"Spy on Eggman. I want to know what he's up to. I have a feeling he's planning something..."**

"Yes sir." Syntax said obediently.

She then turned to the control panel before and started tapping into it. A robot as advanced as her had no trouble tapping into any system or network. In a matter of seconds, she could now see through every single security camera on the ship. One of them watched Eggman now as he roamed down the corridor with Orbot and Cubot following him. Brevon was determined to find out what Eggman was up to, even if it meant eavesdropping on his every word and action. If Eggman was plotting against him, he would have every excuse he needed to betray him and abandon him to the fusion world's fate...

* * *

Back in G.U.N. headquarters, the heroes were taking some precious moments to themselves to rest and recuperate from the earlier events of today. They were well deserving of a rest after what they had been through. Earthquakes, fighting against Eggman and Brevon robots, having to save Sonic and Lilac from their corruptions and worrying about the fate of the world, it was no wonder everybody was ready to just lay back for a few moments to collect their thoughts and regain their strength. They all knew that resting just wasted precious time that should be put to saving the world but they wouldn't be able to save the world if they were exhausted. They needed all their strength if they had any chance of making it out alive and saving their worlds from destruction.

Omega was the only one who wasn't resting. He was outside clearing up the mess that had been caused by Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac earlier. He cleared away rubble and debris and the G.U.N. and Shang Mu soldiers that had formed the defensive wall intended to protect Mayor Zao and the president were busy restoring their positions and tending to the wounded. Nobody was critically hurt, which was miraculous to say the least, but there were plenty of people who were needing medical attention. Commander Tower and the Lead Guard were just thankful it wasn't as bad as it could've been. They both knew it could've been catastrophically worse than it had been. There could've been dead bodies everywhere and even now, they considered it miraculous that they hadn't lost any lives in the fight. Mayor Zao and the president, who had seen the entire fight from the balcony of their fused building, had come out to congratulate Tower, the Lead Guard and their men on their bravery in holding off Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic.

"We want you to send our regards to the Mobians and Avalicians too." Zao said brightly.

"We can't thank them enough to stopping their brainwashed friends and potentially saving many, many lives today." the president added.

"We'll pass the message onto them." Tower promised.

"And I bet they've cured Sonic and Lilac now so they can hear it too." the Lead Guard added.

The message was indeed passed on to the heroes. Tails and Torque had been waiting for any updates from G.U.N. to see how things were going and they were thrilled to receive the news that there were no fatalities and that Zao and the president were very grateful to them for their heroism. They thanked the soldier who had given the message and told him to tell the two political leaders that they were very welcome. The soldier had nodded and switched, off, leaving the fox and Chaser to relax with their friends. They were all sitting around the lab, doing whatever they did in order to keep themselves calm and content. Neera Li was meditating, sitting on the floor and humming softly as she was connecting to the universe mentally. Knuckles sat by himself, wanting to keep himself to himself like the loner he was. Gong sat beside Neera as if guarding her, Shadow and Rouge were together and awaiting for something to happen, Carol was taking a little nap to regain her energy, something that cats were known for doing, Amy was chatting to King Dail and Spade was lurking in the shadows as if the curtain of darkness around him was comforting to him in some way. Cream and Milla were preparing refreshments for everybody. They had insisted that everybody have at least a small bite to eat and something to drink. It would aid them in their recuperation. They had passed around freshly made tea and biscuits all around. Cream had made ordinary tea for the Mobians whereas Milla had made a more exotic tea that was green in colour and much stronger than normal tea for the Avalicians. Nobody had refused their polite requests, even Shadow and Spade although they had mostly done it just to stop them begging rather than out of necessity.

There were just two more people for the rabbit and dog to serve. Sonic and Lilac were sitting by themselves, very tense and very quiet. They looked closed off, as if they weren't quite in the same room as everybody else. They looked as if they didn't even want to be near anybody. Cream and Milla could understand why. The whole episode with them being turned on their friends like Eggman and Brevon had done to them had left them shaken. They had managed to stop crying over it and didn't feel the need to be comforted anymore but they were still clearly shaken by the whole experience. Hopefully they would recover and they'd be ready to bring the battle to Eggman and Brevon in order to get the Kingdom Emerald from them and use it to restore their worlds to normal. Nobody was sure how long the planet had until it broke apart and killed everybody living on it. With any luck, they had a good amount of time left and they'd save their worlds in time. Cream and Milla approached Sonic and Lilac. The two did not seem to have seen them approaching. It was as if they were in another room entirely despite being here with their friends right now. Cream handed the tray, which had two teas and some biscuits left, to Lilac. The dragon seemed to be deep in thought for she suddenly blinked and turned to see what was happening as if she'd just been brought back down to earth. Sonic seemed to be back into the room too, shaking off his daydream and looking at the tray Cream was showing Lilac.

"Would you like some tea Miss Lilac?" Cream asked politely, "It'll make you feel better."

"I made the green tea for you Lilac." Milla said, picking the cup up and handing it to the dragon, "It's a recipe my mommy taught me. You'll love it."

"Oh bless you two, you're such a pair of sweethearts." Lilac said kindly, "Thank you so much."

She took the tea from Milla and sipped it eagerly. She smacked her lips and beamed.

"Mmm, it's good. Your mom sure has a good recipe for green tea." Lilac said brightly.

"Thank you!" Milla said sweetly.

"Mr. Sonic? Do you want any?" Cream asked, handing the tray over to Sonic.

"Nah, I'm cool thanks." Sonic said casually, waving his hand dismissively.

"Please have some Mr. Sonic, it'll make you feel better. Tea always helps when I'm feeling rotten." Cream insisted, giving the hedgehog her trademark puppy-dog gaze.

It was a kind of gaze that could make even the most stone-hearted of people cave in. Even Sonic could hardly resist the stare and he caved in to Cream's polite request.

"Alright, you win." he said, smiling cheekily.

He took the last remaining cup from the tray and allowed the warm aroma to tickle his face before he sipped it. He seemed to visibly relax upon taking it.

"Want anything to eat as well?" Milla asked, motioning to the biscuits on the tray.

"No thanks, not hungry." said Sonic, "This'll do me."

"I'm not hungry too." Lilac said softly, "But thank you anyway."

The two sweethearts nodded and took the tray away.

"We hope you two feel better soon." Cream said gently.

"We'll leave you two alone for a minute if that's OK." said Milla, feeling as if she shouldn't be near them right now.

"That's cool you two." Sonic said gratefully, "We'll let you know when we're feeling better."

"We'll talk to you two later." Lilac said, sipping more of her tea.

Cream and Milla smiled and then they turned and walked away, leaving the two heroes alone to regather their strength and thoughts. The hedgehog and dragon both sat in silence for a minute, casually sipping their tea and feeling the warmth travel through them as they drunk it. Tea seemed to have that kind of effect on a nervous person. The two heroes assumed it was the warm aroma that did it. Lilac then suddenly lowered the cup down onto her knees, allowing the faint wisp of steam to snake up into the air, and she turned her head to face Sonic.

"It was pretty gruesome being a mutant wasn't it?" she asked concernedly.

Sonic paused for a moment, lowering the tea down to his lap too and turning to look at her. His face looked a little grave as if he was only just getting to grips with himself.

"You have no idea how horrible it felt." Sonic murmured, "It felt like my body was no longer my own and that I was tearing myself apart! It felt uncomfortable too, unbearably so! But the worst part was not being able to do anything about it. It's like I was a prisoner in my own body! And if there's anything I can't stand, it's the loss of my freedom. If I'm cooped up or trapped, I get agitated very easily. I need freedom to run after all. Being a prisoner in my own body was certainly an experience I hope never to experience again!"

Lilac nodded understandingly.

"I bet that's how poor Milla felt when she was mutated by Brevon..." she mused grimly.

"You mean the puppy girl had that happen to her too?!" Sonic blustered, "Mutated and turned on her friends by Lord Unibrow...how old is she?!"

"Ten." the dragon said solemnly.

"She's only ten and Brevon subjected her to a nightmare like that?!" the hedgehog exclaimed in disgust, "Dude...that's SOOOO not cool! I didn't think I'd end up hating Brevon as much as I hate Eggman but now, I can say he's tied for Eggman on my most hated people list! Nobody terrorizes a poor little kid like that and gets away with it!"

"That was my attitude exactly." Lilac nodded, "I tore the Dreadnought apart just so I could beat Brevon to death for doing that to Milla! It made me so angry that he did that to a poor, sweet, innocent child like her! I'm still relieved to this day that she was saved..."

"I am too." Sonic said kindly, "I hate it when people lose their friends in horrible ways like this. I'd have been furious if I ever lost Tails or Amy or Knuckles or anybody like them in such a gruesome way. Nobody should die horribly in my eyes."

"No, they shouldn't." Lilac agreed, "And I'm glad we managed to save you without endangering your life as me and Carol did Milla's. I don't know how any of us would feel if you were nearly killed just trying to save you..."

"I can't imagine my friends would've taken that lightly..." the hedgehog said grimly, "So Lilac...how do you feel? You feeling any better?"

"A little." the dragon replied, staring at her tea cup as if hoping it could show her the future, "I still feel horrible over what I did as Mecha Lilac...I was like you, a prisoner in my own body! The metallic shell binding me was like a mobile cage to me. Trapped and unable to control myself, I could only watch as I attacked my friends and yours. And I felt cold inside...ooooh, I've never ever felt so cold before in my life! It was horrible! It was worse how I couldn't stop myself attacking my friends and your friends! I couldn't even stop myself attacking Mayor Zao's own men and the men working for G.U.N.! I hope Zao will forgive me for that, he's not a very forgiving kind of guy..."

"I'm sure he'll understand." Sonic said optimistically, "I'm sure even he understands the meaning of "forced against your will into doing something" Lilac."

"I know...but it's just...ugh...I don't know..." Lilac said feebly, "I still feel like I can't forgive myself for the whole thing. I should've have gotten captured! I shouldn't have allowed this to happen! But I did...and it's happened and I'll never be able to forget about it for as long as I live! Oh how I wish I'd never met that monster Dr. Eggman! He's almost as bad as Brevon!"

"I'm convinced they're both as bad as each other..." the Mobian said tersely, "Which is why they must be stopped!"

"I don't think I could ever go back on the Egg Dreadnought..." the Avalician said worriedly, "It'll fill me with too many bad memories of being roboticized..."

She began to tremble slightly, her cup shuddering in her hands. Sonic felt sorry for Lilac. He knew what roboticization was like, having constantly saved many critters and people from the nightmare they were subjected to over the years and he could imagine that Lilac, who was alien to his world and the concept of roboticization was alien to her in return, was having a hard time dealing with this. He had suffered a mutation before during the crisis with Dark Gaia so he imagined like that mutation, he'd be OK soon. But not Lilac. She hadn't experienced roboticization before so getting over it wouldn't be very easy for her. He put his cup of tea down beside him and he gently placed a hand on Lilac's arm. The dragon stopped shaking and she looked into Sonic's handsome green eyes. His touch was surprisingly pleasant and relaxing. She imagined many girls would enjoy being in her place right now.

"Lilac, it's OK that you feel a little shaken by the whole event." Sonic said warmly, "But trust me when I say this: you can't let it get to you. If you let it get to you, it'll tear you apart inside and out. It's why I try not to be too shaken by what happens to me. I've been through a lot of things in my life, things that you'd have nightmares about if I told you them. But my philosophy is that if you let the bad times get you down, you lost that positive outlook on life that you need in order to enjoy it. Every body has a life that starts and ends and the only way to make it worthwhile is to be positive, upbeat and to never give up. I never give up, no matter what I'm up against. I know that you can be the same Lilac. After all, you said it yourself, you're like a female version of me! If I can be optimistic and courageous, so can you."

The dragon was utterly amazed at the touching, heart-warming speech Sonic had given her. She had never taken him to be a philosophical kind of person. He always seemed so hot-headed and fun-loving. It seemed he was wiser than he let on, something that Lilac herself deeply admired. She herself was also smarter than she often gave herself credit for. How did she and Sonic have so much common despite being completely different species and coming from two completely different worlds? They were different...but the same in some ways. Smiling graciously, Lilac put her hand on Sonic's shoulder, setting her tea aside.

"You're such a cool guy Sonic." Lilac said, "Even if our crossing over is threatening our very existences...I'm glad it's happened. Otherwise I'd never have met a guy as cool as you."

"Don't sweat it Lilac." Sonic said modestly, "And I think you're pretty cool too. It's been a blast meeting you and your buddies!"

"Same here." the dragon said, "I'm gonna miss you when we have to part ways."

"It'll be a shame to say goodbye to you too Lilac but my buddy Tails is good at building ships and all." the hedgehog noted, "We could always go on a space voyage and visit Avalice one day. This time, without it being mixed up with Mobius and with Eggman and Brevon being crazy and all."

"I'd love that!" Lilac exclaimed excitedly, "And maybe Torque could take me and my friends to Mobius in the future! It'd be nice to see what it looks like when it's not sharing places with my world." she added with a giggle.

"That's something for both of us to look forward to." Sonic nodded, "Which is why we need to save our worlds before catastrophe happens."

"Otherwise we're all dead..." the teen-dragon said cryptically.

The hedgehog nodded agreeably. The two heroes took a moment to finish off their teas before they got up onto their feet and wandered over to their friends. Tails and Torque were the first ones they approached. The two seemed to be deep in conversation about something and they both seemed quite excited and eager, nodding to each other and their smiles growing as they chatted. Then Tails suddenly turned to see Sonic and Lilac walking towards him and the Chaser. His face lit up at the sight of Sonic standing up again and looking a lot happier. Even Lilac looked more animated than she had a few moments ago. Tails and Torque stood up and ran towards the two heroes. Torque and Lilac embraced as if they were lovers who hadn't seen each other for a while and Sonic and Tails hugged the same kind of brotherly hugs they usually shared with each other.

"How do you feel now you two?" Torque asked, seeming not to notice how tightly he was hugging Lilac right now.

"A lot better, thanks." Sonic said, patting Tails's head, "Just needed a moment to regain ourselves that's all."

"We're ready to save the world whenever you are." Lilac announced, her hands on Torque's shoulders, "So, you got any ideas on how we're going to get inside the Egg Dreadnought?"

"Well I do have one idea…" Torque said, almost sounding as if he was being cautious about having to say the sentence, "G.U.N.'s forces and the Shang Mu Royal Army wasn't enough right? Well…I wondered what if we had G.U.N., the Shang Mu Royal Army and the royal armies of Shang Tu and Shuigang added as well? Surely even that vessel won't survive an assault from FOUR armies."

"Torque suggested the idea to me and I thought it was a great idea." Tails added, "We were going to contact Shang Tu and Shuigang until we saw you two and decided to see how you were."

"That's cool." Sonic said brightly, "And I gotta say, I think the idea's great too. We still have plenty of G.U.N. soldiers and tech left and I bet Mayor Zao's army is still full of people ready to fight."

"And with the other two kingdoms of Avalice fighting against Brevon and Eggman, we're guaranteed to win!" Lilac exclaimed excitedly, "Though…will they take too long to reach us? Is it too late to call for help?"

"I did consider that, which is why I thought of this." Torque added helpfully, "We can give the call and we can START the fight and thus, it means we're not wasting too much time waiting for them to come. Time is something we can scarcely afford to waste right now. So hopefully, the two armies will arrive in time to provide the cavalry for us and swing things in our favour."

"The armies will mostly be a distraction." Tails said matter-of-factly, "They'll attack the Egg Dreadnought while we keep any forces they send out to combat us busy. I theorized that Eggman and Brevon might try and slow us down by using their robot armies to attack us. So I suggested that we could fight most of the robots with G.U.N. and the Avalice armies helping us while a majority of the armies attack the ship. Then the moment they blow a hole into it, me and Milla will fly you and Lilac up into the ship and you two will take it from there. The rest of us will keep their forces busy so Eggman and Brevon can't call for back-up while you two are fighting them."

Sonic and Lilac nodded, impressed at the sheer amount of planning their two genius friends had done. They were certainly going as far as they needed in order to make sure they didn't fail. The hedgehog and dragon both grinned from ear-to-ear.

"You two are officially now known as "The Genius Brothers"." Sonic said, giving them the thumbs up.

"Couldn't have planned it better myself." Lilac declared, "It's bound to work. I'm not so sure about risking more lives though…even if it is for a good cause."

"My captain always said it was better to lose some lives than every life." Torque said solemnly, "I'm not sure whether I agree completely on that but it'd be a lot better for us to save billions of lives than to lose everybody, ourselves included."

"So I think we should do it." Tails said eagerly, "What do you say?"

"I say…let's do it to it!" Sonic cried, clenching his fists and striking a heroic pose.

"Let's show those two maniacs why they should never have brought our worlds together!" Lilac declared, punching the air enthusiastically.

The fox and Chaser both grinned at their friend's response and decided that now was the time to put their plan into action. Torque sat down at the computer screen and began tapping on the keyboard, hoping to find Shang Tu and Shuigang so he could contact them. He worked for a few moments before turning around and calling to Gong, Neera and Dail.

"Hey you three, could you give me a hand a moment?" Torque asked, "I need to contact your kingdoms so I can request they help us in saving the world."

The three pandas were quick to react, getting to their feet and running over to the screen. Sonic and Lilac turned away, leaving them to their work. They both looked at each other as if this was going to be the last time they would do so. They both smiled awkwardly as if not knowing how to begin the conversation.

"Nervous?" Sonic asked concernedly.

"A little." Lilac admitted, "Last time I went into a big battle, I nearly had a costly loss. I'm…I'm just hoping that won't happen again."

"I'm a little nervous too." the Mobian teen said sympathetically, "But I know that with my friends besides me and all the resources we need, we'll be just fine. The fact we're teaming up with your armies and allies just makes me feel more confident. I know we can win this!"

"We will win this." the Avalician teen agreed, "We'll either save the world or die trying!"

"I sure hope that Eggman and Brevon are ready, because they're in for one big butt-kicking!" Sonic declared hotly.

"One big butt-kicking from both Mobius AND Avalice!" Lilac added.

The two heroes then high-fived each other, utterly confident that nothing would go wrong and that their plan to save the entire world was destined to succeed. They would be bringing the battle to their enemies and they wouldn't rest until they were utterly defeated…

* * *

Meanwhile on the Egg Dreadnought, Lord Brevon sat down at the main computer screen and watched as Syntax continued to relay the security camera footage to him. He had watched for a few moments as Eggman strode through the corridors, clearly looking for a place to hide. It was as if he didn't want to be seen or overheard and thus, was taking no chances whatsoever. He hadn't suspected the cameras for Syntax hadn't dared to make them move in a way that suggested they were deliberately following him. Their wait for something to happen came to an end at last with Eggman opening up a door and walking inside. It seemed to be some kind of storage room for the alien warlord could see that there were weapons lying on shelves all around the room. Eggman settled down, believing that he was alone and that he was out of sight. He would be horrified to see right now that he was being watched on a security camera in the room that was looking at him. Syntax fixated on Eggman as he began to speak to Orbot and Cubot.

 **"At last. Now let's see what the doctor is up to…"** Brevon growled menacingly.

He stared very intently at the screen, tuning his senses towards it and nothing else. He wanted to hear every word Eggman spoke.

"OK you two, you listen here!" Eggman hissed, "That Lord Brevon is a lunatic if he thinks I'm going to accept his offer!"

"Of course doctor. You're far too arrogant and conceited to just let Mobius die like this." Orbot sniffed, "Wouldn't be much of your image now if the Eggman Empire was built on another world."

"Don't you get snippy with me you metallic snob!" the fat scientist growled, "Mobius is my home. HOME Orbot! I can't just let it die! Remember all the times I've saved the planet from death and destruction in the past?"

"Only so you can conquer it doctor." Orbot noted.

"It's-a true Signore Eggman!" Cubot added, rather unhelpfully.

"Whatever!" Eggman snapped, "The fact is, I'm not going to just back my bags and run! I'm going to betray Brevon! I already planned on doing so but now's the time I need to do it! I'll dispose of him somehow and then I'm going to take the Egg Dreadnought for myself, use it to restore Mobius and Avalice to normal and then use this vessel to conquer Mobius!"

"I don't know doctor…I think Brevon's got the better idea." the red, spherical robot said uncertainly, "I mean if you just let Mobius die, you'll have no more Sonic to bother you."

"And then what? I set up my empire on some foreign world?!" the overweight doctor retorted, "It won't be my Eggman Empire if it's not on my world! And besides, I might encounter aliens that are even worse than Sonic! Last thing I need is to try and conquer some planet inhabited by alien blobs in battle armour or something like that…no, it's best to stick to the territory you know best. I know Mobius best so I'd have a better chance of succeeding here than out there!"

He pointed up at the ceiling as if to emphasise his point.

"So we're going to save Mobius, and that's final! Brevon can take his idea to his grave, where he belongs for daring to suggest such a thing!" Eggman growled, "Honestly, I should've known better than to make an alliance with an alien…"

"So how will we-a defeat-a Lord Brevon-a boss?" Cubot asked curiously.

"Oh I have a plan that's guaranteed to work." Eggman purred, "I'll have Metal Sonic slit his throat when he least expects it! He's got more chance of defeating him than I have, that much is certain. That alien warlord will be sorry he dared to suggest my planet should die!"

Brevon's eyes narrowed to a cold, hard, angry stare that carried all his hatred for the doctor. He became very still, his body rigid and his fists clenched. He looked as if he was about to explode any moment now. He then slowly nodded his head.

 **"That was all I needed to hear…"** he snarled.

"Do you wish for me to terminate him now sir?" Syntax asked politely.

 **"No! Eggman is mine. Nobody is to touch him!"** Brevon barked, **"You will be in charge of the ship for now. I'm going to go down there…"**

He paused for a moment as he took out his wicked knife and grinned sadistically as he pictured using it to take Eggman's silly little head off.

 **"…and kill the doctor myself."** he said sinisterly, **"He thinks he can get rid of me that easily? He'll find out what happens to those who decide to throw their lives away like this…"**

"Indeed sir." Syntax said casually.

 **"Deploy all of mine and Eggman's forces and order them to guard the ship!"** Brevon barked, **"I can't risk those heroes taking a shot at us while I'm disposing of Eggman. I even advise you send Metal Sonic out there…so Eggman has nothing to fight me with."**

"As you wish sir. I'll tell him Eggman gave the order." Syntax said, "He'll obey immediately then."

 **"Indeed."** Brevon nodded, **"And once Eggman is dead, we will leave this world to its fate…"**

He then proceeded to stomp out of the room, his magnificent cape billowing behind him as he left the room. His footsteps echoed around the room as he walked and even as he exited the room and turned down a corridor, his heavy footsteps could still be heard echoing through the ship. Syntax was left alone to carry out Brevon's orders while her master did the deed. She had no doubt that Brevon would succeed and she was looking forward to hearing how the whole thing went. For now, she focused her attention on what was going on outside. As she switched the cameras to the outside view, she could see that a platoon of tanks, jeeps, planes, helicopters, airships and soldiers were coming towards the Egg Dreadnought. The Mobians and Avalicians were not going to play nicely now. They were coming with everything they had and they were clearly not going to let their world die. Syntax regarded this scene with nothing short of un-interest as she gave the order to Eggman's robots, Brevon's forces, Serpentine and Metal Sonic to file on outside and take the approaching army out…

* * *

 _ **This is it ladies and gentleman! The war for Mobius and Avalice's well-being is about to begin! Who will triumph? Will the world be saved? And can Eggman survive Brevon's onslaughts or is he as good as dead now? Find out next time as our heroes begin the "Assault"...**_


	13. Chapter 12: Assault

**Act 3**

 _Chapter 12: Assault_

There was something about the feeling of preparing to battle that neither Mobian nor Avalician would forget. The comparative feeling of anxiety and excitement that coursed through their veins as they neared their opponents and prepared to unleash all hell was a feeling that everybody was used to. Some of them enjoyed the feeling. Others tried their best not to get overwhelmed by it and keep their emotions in check. There were even some who had no emotions when it came to a fight at all. Whatever the heroes were feeling, they didn't matter. Only Eggman and Brevon's defeat mattered and they were there to stop them and restore their doomed worlds before endgame could arrive.

Sonic and Lilac were at the front of the huge army that loomed behind them, waiting to open fire. Thanks to the two keeping their memories of their time as Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic, the hedgehog and dragon knew where they were going as they led their teams and armies to the Egg Dreadnought. They had remembered the way they had come from the ship to the city after being transformed. In a sense, corrupting the two heroes would prove to be the two villains' downfall. The Mobians and Avalicians all stared up at the huge hybrid of the Dreadnought and the Death Egg looming menacingly up in the sky like an evil creature waiting to swoop down and destroy everything in its path. The damages done to it from their earlier battle with the ship had been repaired but the heroes were confident that they could penetrate it still and get inside. Once inside, the rest would be very straightforward. But getting inside was looking to be the hard part.

The Mobians and Avalicians looked up as they saw the inevitable arrival of reinforcements. It would be foolish, even idiotic, of Eggman and Brevon to leave their ship unguarded and Sonic and Lilac knew this. They had expected a resistance and because of this, nobody was surprised as Eggman and Brevon robots came swarming out of the ship like a swarm of angry bees. Serpentine and Metal Sonic could be seen among the mass army swooping down towards them. Serpentine was, once again, inside a battle mech but this one was different. He was flying what looked like a mechanical eagle with bladed wings and metallic talons. It had cannons mounted on either side of its head and on the wings. Metal Sonic was going to be fighting with his bare hands as usual and he looked as murderous as ever. Sonic and Lilac were pleased to see them. They wanted to make them pay for kidnapping them and bringing them to Eggman and Brevon to be converted. The robot army closed in, all with their weapons ready and their targets in sight. The hero army readied itself for battle too, bracing themselves for impact.

"Here it is…the assault begins." Lilac murmured.

"Everybody ready?" Sonic asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be dude!" Carol declared.

"We've been ready before we even got here." Tails announced.

"Then let's begin the battle to save our worlds." Sonic said, smirking.

Together, he and Lilac both pointed at the approaching armies and yelled:

"ATTACK!"

The response was immediate. The legions of tanks, airships, helicopters, planes and jeeps all let lose a torrent of missiles and gunfire, bombarding the Egg Dreadnought while also shooting at the robot army too. Most of the ground and air forces were focused on the Egg Dreadnought but some aimed and fired at the robots. Some of the robots were caught up in the crossfire as they shot at the Egg Dreadnought, blown to smithereens in seconds as they were obliterated by the weaponry of the vehicles. That was the plan after all, to have the army mostly shoot at the Egg Dreadnought so they could penetrate it and allow Sonic and Lilac to get inside and put an end to this nightmare. The heroes would be handling most of the robot armies. The army couldn't focus on all of them and keep shooting at the Egg Dreadnought at the same time, not while there were so many.

As the army commenced with its attack, the Mobians and Avalicians charged into battle. It was time for their move now. Yelling loudly, the two teams of heroes ran towards the attacking army of robots as they commenced their task, to defend the Egg Dreadnought at any cost. Metal Sonic and Serpentine eyed Sonic and Lilac gleefully and decided to attack them, leaving the rest of their forces to take out their friends. Serpentine's falcon mech swooped down in an aerial dive, rushing towards Sonic like a an actual falcon diving towards its prey. Metal Sonic boosted up his jets and he rocketed towards Lilac at top speed. But the hedgehog and dragon had expected this from the two. They had realized that fighting the opposite opponent hadn't been working out well for them and that Serpentine and Metal Sonic kept winning as a result. So before the cyber-snake and robot-hedgehog could grab them, the two heroes switched sides so Serpentine ended up against Lilac and Metal Sonic ended up against Sonic. The Mobian hedgehog spin-dashed straight into the unsuspecting Metal Sonic, catching him off-guard and slamming straight into him. Lilac dragon-boosted straight into Serpentine's mech, hitting it straight in the head and making the snake general gasp for he had been gunning for Sonic at first. The two villains crashed down onto the ground, picking themselves up shortly afterwards. They would make doubly sure that they weren't caught by surprise again. Serpentine and Metal Sonic both stood together, preparing to attack while Sonic and Lilac adopted combat ready stances, their feet apart and centre of gravity balanced. Serpentine laughed obnoxiously at them.

"What's the matter you two?! Still sore over being kidnapped by us?!" he taunted.

"Yeah, pretty much." Sonic snorted.

"You kidnapped us and allowed your evil masters to convert us into monsters working for them!" Lilac screeched, "We're gonna tear you both apart piece by piece for that!"

"You're welcome to try mongrels!" the abrasive general sneered, "Metal Sonic, get the dragon girl! The hedgehog's mine!" he ordered.

"Nope, not happening." Sonic declared, "We're not fighting the opposite guy anymore. This time, we're sticking to our own enemies. Lilac, snake man's all yours to punish for letting Brevon mutate me while I give Metal Sonic a stern telling off for letting Eggman roboticize you."

"I can't thank you enough for your generosity Sonic." Lilac said with an impish smile on her face.

The two heroes then curled up into balls and charged straight into their enemies as if they had been fired from a gun each. They were so fast that neither Serpentine nor Metal Sonic had time to prepare for them as they were hit full on by their opponents. Sonic churned into Metal Sonic, his sharp quills scratching against his tough exterior as he spin-dashed him. He slammed him down into the ground, pushing him along it on his back and leaving a huge trail of dirt behind him as they wrestled with each other. Metal Sonic swung his legs up and threw Sonic off of himself. Sonic somersaulted and landed on his feet just a few paces away from his metallic nemesis. Metal Sonic picked himself up and charged towards his organic opponent. Sonic sped towards Metal Sonic and the two linked hands. They pushed on each other, trying to force either one down onto their knees to gain an advantage. Sonic managed to smile as he wrestled with his old nemesis.

"I always did feel more comfortable fighting my own demons than somebody else's arch enemy." he sneered, "I bet you wish you was fighting Lilac now Metal Sonic, after all you can beat her but you could never beat me!" he taunted.

The killer robot displayed no emotion on his face but Sonic's remark clearly seemed to tick him off for he pulled on Sonic's hands, dragging him closer to him so he could drive his knee straight into the hedgehog's stomach. Sonic gasped as the air was knocked out of him literally by the blow. Metal Sonic took advantage of this by backhanding the hedgehog across the face. Sonic lay down on his side, wincing from the blow. He shook it off and leaped up onto his feet. Metal Sonic spin-dashed towards him but the hedgehog was a fraction too quick in his reflexes. He managed to get out of the way, feeling the air sweep past him as the spin-dashing robot hurled past. He was thankful that he was really fast, otherwise this battle would've been over very quickly for him. Metal Sonic uncurled from his spin-dash and skidded to a halt. He came hurling towards Sonic again, speeding towards him like a missile fired at him from a tank. Sonic jumped up into the air and Homing-Attacked Metal Sonic, slamming straight into him and knocking him down onto the ground. Metal Sonic picked himself up shortly afterwards and he spun around, swinging his left foot through the air and straight into Sonic's head. The hedgehog reeled back from the powerful attack, his head swimming for a moment as he tried to regain his senses. While he was momentarily dazed, the robot hedgehog pounced on him and used a Stomp Kick attack on Sonic. The Stomp Kick was one of Sonic's own moves, a move Metal Sonic knew due to copying Sonic's data and being built to be exactly like him. The Mobian teenager cried out as he was floored by the heavy stomp. He began to wonder if his spine would break from the heavy onslaught. Metal Sonic then grabbed Sonic by the neck and hurled him across the field. Crying out loud, the supersonic hedgehog flailed about as he hurled through the air and crashed down onto his side. He skidded to a halt, trying to fight off the pain in his arm and side as he stopped. He sat up for a moment, softly massaging himself and he narrowed his eyes as Metal Sonic came towards him again.

"Man, I wish I had a Chaos Emerald or two right now." he muttered, "If we'd had time to find them, I'd have been happy to use them on this metal faker!"

Grunting, he picked himself up and braced himself as Metal Sonic came charging at him, claws bared and optics blazing as he closed in on his opponent.

Meanwhile, Lilac was having as equal a success in her battle with Serpentine. She churned into the battle mech in a Dragon-Cyclone attack, whipping the head section repeatedly as she spun around like a whirlwind. Her attack was heavy and the snake general could feel the impact from her attacks against the cockpit window but his mech held out. Lilac's attack finished and she found herself standing on the beak of the falcon machine. She began pounding on the cockpit window with her fists, hoping to break the glass and yank Serpentine out of the mech. But the general pulled back on the joysticks and made the machine's head flick upwards, sending Lilac up into the air. The dragon screeched loudly but she managed to save herself a nasty impact by somersaulting and positioning herself just right so she landed down on her feet. It helped how the grass was nice and soft, making the landing less painful for her. She shook herself off, trying to ignore the pain that flared through her feet but she didn't have time to regain herself before Serpentine blasted her off her feet with a powerful cannon blast from his mech's cannons. The dragon was thrown into the air and she crashed down onto her side, crying out pained screams as she hit the ground. The mech landed down before Lilac, its sharp talons slightly embedded in the soil as it prepared to attack again. Lilac picked herself up and massaged her side, trying to show that she wasn't too hurt.

"I've had fun fighting Sonic I'll admit but it feels good to have a shot at you again you sparkly twit!" Serpentine sneered.

"I can't say I enjoyed fighting Metal Sonic myself but I enjoy fighting you even less!" Lilac retorted, "At least I'm against an opponent I have a better chance of winning against though."

The abrasive reptile just laughed as if Lilac was joking. The dragon sighed in annoyance, wondering how the general could dare take her lightly after how many times he kicked his butt last month when Brevon committed his atrocities against the planet. She was now going to remind Serpentine why he shouldn't underestimate her. She curled into a ball again and charged straight into the battle machine in one swift Dragon Boost. She hit the mech straight underneath its chin, snapping the head upwards and nearly taking it clean off in the process. Serpentine yelped as he found himself suddenly flung upwards and looking up at the sky. He quickly regained himself and looked out for Lilac, hoping to get the drop on her before she made her next move. He wasn't fast enough and before he knew it, Lilac had leapt up and was whipping the left wing of his machine before he was ready for her. In the time it had taken Serpentine to regain himself, Lilac had sprung at him in another Dragon Cyclone attack. The machine leant sideways a little as he was hit and the wing lurched upwards. Lilac landed down on the ground, smirking at her opponent confidently as she made her next move. She ran towards the legs of the falcon machine and began whipping at them with her tendrils It always amazed the cyber-snake how powerful Lilac's tendrils were. Strong enough to break machines like his and even strong enough to take out Brevon himself. But he was determined to beat Lilac this time. He raised the foot of his machine, forcing Lilac to back away. He then stamped down at her with the foot, the vicious talons becoming a blur as they shot towards her. The dragon only just managed to get out of the way but she ended up feeling the shockwave that followed the stomp and ended up falling over. She wasn't down for long as she stood back up, only for Serpentine's mech to then kick her as it raised its foot up again. She was hit by the middle toe and knocked down again. The Avalician teen quickly rolled out of the way as the bird-like machine stomped down towards her again. Straining, she stood up again and shook herself off.

"Feels like last month all over again..." she sighed, "And of course, it'll end the same way, with me kicking the snake man's tail into the next planet again!"

Bracing herself, the dragon prepared to attack as Serpentine readied himself for another assault.

As the two heroes were fighting, the G.U.N. and Shang Mu armies were keeping up their assault on the Egg Dreadnought and were holding their own as the battle waged on. The tanks fired out huge cannonballs that slammed against the tough exterior of the ship while the jeeps fired their Gatling guns. The bullets weren't necessarily meant to penetrate the ship itself but were mostly meant to weaken the hull so the cannon shots would have an easier time breaking through it. The jets soared through the sky, coming in close to the Egg Dreadnought and launching missiles at the hull, pulling away and turning around as the missiles impacted on the surface. The helicopters and airships hovered together, launching missiles by the dozen at the Egg Dreadnought in unison. The Dreadnought was bombarded by the hail-fire, missiles screaming towards it and bullets spraying out at it all over with no mercy from the opposing side. But the Dreadnought itself wasn't going to go down without a fight. Syntax, who was observing the whole battle, deployed the Egg Dreadnought's weapons systems. The ship's cannons extended out and began shooting at the attacking armies. However, unlike last time, G.U.N. and the Royal Army were aware of the vessel's firepower and thus, had made preparations for it. The air vehicles all started manoeuvring quickly out of the way, dodging the cannon blasts as best as they could. The jeeps began to drive, quickly weaving around the lasers and the tanks began trundling backwards and forwards to avoid being hit. Not every vehicle managed to dodge being hit. A couple of jeeps and a helicopter were vaporized instantly by the shots and an airship was hit and badly damaged. But the tactics worked. The Dreadnought missed nearly every shot and the vehicles were still able to shoot at it while they were moving around. Commander Tower and the Shang Mu Lead Guard were pleased to see this.

"Already going much better than before." the old commander said grimly.

"We're much liker to succeed this time." the Lead Guard declared, "And it helps how the cavalry is on its way too."

"Yes...Sonic and Lilac told us that they had contacted two other armies from your world." Tower mused, "Eggman and Brevon won't know what hit them when they show up."

"Indeed. This is a fight we can't lose and our worlds will be saved!" the Lead Guard cried excitedly.

The two army commanders focused back onto the battle as their jeep came underneath the Egg Dreadnought and began spraying it with bullets. The sky above was streaming with cannon fire, missiles and gunshots. It was chaos incarnate as jeeps drove, planes flew, the Dreadnought fired and robots, Mobians and Avalicians galore unleashed all hell on the battlefield. It was a hectic battle and it was about to get even more so when Shang Tu and Shuigang's armies arrived to join in the fight and bring an end to Eggman and Brevon's tyranny...

* * *

Meanwhile onboard the Egg Dreadnought, Dr. Eggman was strolling down the corridor and smiling to himself. Now he had plotted on how he was going to dispose of Lord Brevon, he was in a good mood. He would save Mobius from distraction and restore the status quo. But he'd keep the Kingdom Emerald to himself so he could use its power to remain invincible and be more than a match for his enemies. Sonic wouldn't stand a chance against him with an emerald of such incredible power. He was heading back to the main control room right now. He was going to tell Brevon that he had made his decision, the answer being no of course, and before Brevon could harm him, he'd call Metal Sonic to his side and have him slaughter the alien. He needed Metal Sonic beside him now so that he'd be ready for his signal. He pulled his sleeve back, revealing a comms device that he wore there and he spoke into it.

"Metal Sonic? This is Dr. Eggman. I'd like for you to come to me immediately." he ordered.

His response was static fuzzing. The scientist scratched his head in puzzlement. Why was that happening? His comms device never failed to work! It was very reliable and always worked perfectly! He tried again.

"Metal Sonic, do you hear me?" he asked.

Still no reply and more static fuzzing. The fat man began to feel nervous. Was his signal being blocked? If so then who was doing it? Brevon possibly but why would he be blocking his signal? He couldn't possibly know what he was planning...could he? He soon got his answer for a door opened at the end of the corridor and the familiar loud footsteps echoed through the corridor as Lord Arktivus Brevon marched towards him. Eggman noticed he had his ooze, or possibly alien blood, soaked dagger in his hand. He began to feel uneasy but decided to play it casually for the moment to make sure he wasn't assuming the worst for no reason. He stood formally, looking relaxed as if everything was OK. Brevon's eyes narrowed as he closed in on him. There was death on those eyes, and they were trained on Eggman.

"Ah, Lord Brevon my friend!" Eggman cried cheerfully, "What brings you here? Did you get concerned about me?"

 **"You might say that..."** the alien warlord said coldly.

"Well I've got good news for you buddy, I've made up my decision and I was on my way up to greet you!" the scientist announced.

 **"Let me guess. Does it have anything to do with how your answer is "no" and you're going to order Metal Sonic to kill me?"** Brevon sneered mockingly, his lips curled into a twisted grin that made no attempt to hide his sadistic pleasure.

The overweight human gasped in horror. His moustache straightened and he began to step back uneasily. His heart pounded as Brevon closed in on him.

"W-w-w-what a-are y-you talking about?" he stammered, "You're making no sense!"

 **"Don't bore me with your pathetic pleas Eggman. I know exactly what you're up to."** Brevon growled menacingly, **"Syntax eavesdropped on you with the aid of the ship's security cameras. I heard EVERYTHING you said and now I'm here to kill you for daring to double cross me! Nobody ever dares to betray me and lives..."**

Dr. Eggman was so stunned at how easily he'd been eavesdropped on that he felt like punching himself. Of course Brevon would've done something like that! He wasn't an idiot and Eggman knew this! How could he have allowed the thought of his servant bot spying on him with the ship's security cameras slip his mind? It was an oversight that was going to get him killed unless he thought of something quickly. He continued stepping backwards as Brevon advanced on him. It was clear that Brevon was enjoying himself for he was taking his time, walking slowly as if wanting to inject Eggman full of fear first before killing him. That was precisely his game, making the kill more delicious and savoury for himself so he could enjoy it all the more when he made the finishing move.

"You got me..." Eggman said feebly, "But before you kill me, at least allow me to die a happy man by answering some questions. First, why as my comms device static?"

 **"I had Syntax block any attempts to contact Metal Sonic."** Brevon announced, **"Before that, I told her to tell him that you wanted him outside to fight our enemies so now he's far out of your reach and unable to help you."**

"Clever..." the scientist muttered, "And my last question is this: why are you so keen on letting Mobius and Avalice kill themselves?! I thought you conquered planets! You're losing a planet you've conquered if you let this fusion world fall apart!"

 **"Fair points doctor but do not forget that Avalice is the planet that made me a mockery."** Brevon explained, **"So the reason I'm willing to let this fusion world implode is so I get the pleasure of leaving it behind, knowing that the planet that ruined my reputation and made me a laughing stock of the universe is gone forever! With Avalice gone, nobody will be inspired to stand against me again and they'll fall in line like the insignificant ants that they are! You could've been a part of my conquest if you hadn't decided to betray me doctor..."**

Eggman nodded slowly, thinking that Lord Brevon was completely insane and making him more happy to have plotted against him. He wanted the mad alien dead more than ever before now but with Metal Sonic out on the battlefield and with no way of contacting him, he was quickly running out of options. He had to get out of this and fast or he was dead, simple as that. Just out of the corner of his eye, Eggman saw that Orbot and Cubot had come out to see how things were going. Perhaps they had heard him talking to Brevon and wondered what was happening. They both looked surprised to see that Eggman had run into Brevon and were already nervous about his well-being. The doctor smiled to himself. Maybe he had a chance out of this after all. He turned back to Brevon so the alien warlord wouldn't get suspicious.

"I can see why you want this world to die. Given how Avalice ruined your reputation and made you a joke, it's understandable why you want it gone." the fat scientist said, carefully choosing his words, "But why should my world die just to benefit you? Mobius didn't do anything to you so you shouldn't want Mobius dead!"

 **"I don't want Mobius dead. I would've been happy adding that planet to my collection of conquered worlds but if Mobius being destroyed means that Avalice dies as well, it's a sacrifice worth paying."** Brevon growled, **"Now although I'm going to kill you, I will give you one final chance. Abandon Mobius and join me. I'll give you what you want and more doctor. If you do, I'll spare your life."**

"Tempting, very tempting..." Eggman purred, "But I'm afraid I cannot accept. Home is where the heart is after all."

 **"So be it..."** Brevon snarled, brandishing his knife and preparing to strike.

But just as he was about to attack, Eggman suddenly turned around and shouted at Orbot and Cubot, catching him off-guard for he hadn't noticed them before.

"Orbot, Cubot, protect your master!" Eggman bellowed.

Reluctantly, the spherical and cuboid machines charged towards Brevon. The alien almost laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the doctor's plan. Did he seriously think that Orbot and Cubot could stop him? He was sorely mistaken if he thought that was the case! But Orbot and Cubot weren't necessarily meant to stop him. They were merely a distraction. As they ran towards Brevon, Eggman turned around on his heels and charged off, moving surprisingly quickly for an overweight human being. Brevon tried to chase after him but Orbot and Cubot grabbed hold of his cape and yanked on it, pulling him back as it tugged against his shoulders. The alien yanked on his cape, freeing it from Orbot and Cubot's grip. He turned around and slashed at them with his sharp knife. The two robots ducked, narrowly avoiding the blade by millimetres. Orbot then curled up into his sphere mode and Cubot threw him straight at Brevon's head, hitting him squarely between the eyes. The alien grunted but otherwise, seemed relatively unhurt by the blow. He even ignored the slight throbbing in his forehead that followed the hit so he could attack. He grabbed Cubot just before the dim-witted machine could do anything and he tossed him up into the ceiling. Cubot hit it and then fell back down onto the floor with a loud thud, groaning in pain. This motion seemed to offend Orbot for he ended up throwing himself at Brevon once again, retracting into sphere mode as he launched towards him.

"Nobody smacks Cubot around except me!" he cried.

He hit the alien directly in the side of his head, making him lean aside slightly but not harming him much. He barely even considered the pain as he turned around and narrowed his eyes at the red, sassy robo-henchman. Orbot tried to attack Brevon again but he was very quickly outmatched. As he leapt, the alien warlord charged towards him, becoming nothing more than a green blur as he crossed the short distance between him and his opponent and he swung his knife. His knife scythed through the air in a clean swipe and he sliced Orbot clean in half. The robot's upper and lower bodies crashed down onto the floor, the cables that had once connected them sparking helplessly. Orbot's upper body tried to pick itself up but Brevon stomped down on the robot's head, killing him instantly. Cubot let out a loud wail of despair as he watched his friend be crushed by the monster before him.

"Noooo! Orbot!" he wailed, "Now who's gonna be the smart to balance out my dumb?! It's not gonna be fun without him to knock some sense into me!"

He then decided to do the most foolish thing he could possibly do. Try to avenge his friend. He threw himself at Brevon, trying to sound brave and intimidating as he cried out but instead, he sounded laughable and pathetic. Brevon smirked confidently, barely even considering Cubot worth his time. He would happily just turn away and leave but he would rather have no more distractions than allow Cubot the chance to interfere some more. He drew his arm across his chest and then swiped at Cubot. The yellow robot's head was severed clean from his body as the villainous creature's knife swept through the air and sliced through his neck joint. The cuboid machine's body collapsed, useless and non-functional now he had no head. The head itself lay forlornly on the floor, the eyes staring up at Brevon as if wanting to look at him one last time. Then Brevon stomped down on Cubot's head, his heavy foot crushing it to pieces and grinding it into the floor. Smirking, Brevon turned away from his defeated enemies and ran down the corridor in search of Eggman.

 **"That was mildly annoying but at least now, the doctor has no more distractions to throw at me..."** he crowed, **"He'll not survive when I get my hands on him!"**

He thundered through the corridor, his loud footsteps like thunderclaps as he stomped his way through. He wasn't entirely sure where Eggman had gone but he had a feeling he knew where he would be. The fat scientist would likely be arming himself so where else could he be on the ship? He turned a corner and ran towards a huge door set in the wall at the end of the corridor. This door led to a huge room that contained battle-mechs for him and Eggman. He was sure that his treacherous companion had gone there. After all, what better weapon to use against him than a giant battle mech? The warlord reached the door and he opened it. He ran inside and saw just what he had expected to see. Eggman had scurried off into this room and got himself a battle mech. His was the "Egg Breaker" model that he had used during the Black Arms Invasion a while back. This model had the exact same design as before such as a huge spiked mace in place of a right hand and small legs but it had some improvements over the original model such as stronger armour, more powerful weapons and even more agility. He dubbed it the Egg Breaker Mk II. The maniacal egg-shaped doctor cackled as he looked down at Brevon with his new machine.

"Impressed?" he sneered.

 **"I had a hunch you'd be here doctor..."** Lord Brevon murmured, **"Admirable of you to arm yourself so that you can give me a decent fight...but that machine won't stop me."**

"Well you're welcome to test that theory!" Eggman crowed, "Come to your death Lord Brevon!"

 **"You before me..."** the alien growled.

Snarling viciously, the demonic alien launched himself towards Eggman, his knife brandished high above his head and ready for a slice. Eggman braced himself, raising his mech's mace hand up and preparing to swing it...

* * *

As the two villains brawled onboard the Egg Dreadnought, the army continued its assault against the ship. The evasion tactics were greatly paying off for the platoons of jeeps, tanks, helicopters and jets that kept shooting at the malevolent vessel. The Egg Dreadnought hardly hit any of them as they were constantly moving around, making sure that the Dreadnought never got a moment to properly aim and fire at them. They were like ants scuttling around to make sure that the human boy they were fleeing from couldn't stamp down on all of them at once. As they moved, their weapons never stopped firing for one minute. Bullets sprayed and lasers fired at every inch of the Egg Dreadnought, making sure that not a single shot missed as they fired at the ship. The Egg Dreadnought's exterior was holding out but even a ship as strong and well built as the Dreadnought wouldn't last out for ever. There were even signs that the hill was beginning to give way. Dents were beginning to appear on certain areas of the ship, some bigger than others. One of them would give way and make a hole, which would then signal that it was now time for Sonic and Lilac to get onboard and put an end to the coming apocalypse.

As the army continued its assault, the Mobians and Avalicians were in heavy combat with Brevon and Eggman's forces, keeping as many of them away from the attacking armies as possible. An Egg Pawn charged towards one of the jeeps, intending to stop it from shooting at the Egg Dreadnought. It looked rather ridiculous running on it's small legs and carrying its big, egg-shaped body towards its target. It had a lance and a spiked shield in its hands and would use them to deadly effect. But Tails flew towards the Egg-Pawn and kick slammed it in the back, knocking it off its feet and onto its front. The Egg Pawn picked itself up and swiped its lance at the twin-tailed fox, missing by a mile as Tails effortlessly dodged. Then Tails spun around and tail-whipped the Egg-Pawn, knocking both weapons out of its hands and rendering it defenceless. The Egg Pawn tried to punch Tails but the fox put an end to it by tail-whipping it again, tearing its chest plate off and exposing its circuitry. With its innards vulnerable, the Egg Pawn tried to retreat only for Tails to plunge his hand into its chest and rip out some wires, killing it instantly.

"I may hate having to do this to technology but in Eggman's case, I don't give a darn." the Mobian fox muttered.

He then turned and watched as Torque shot at a robo-scallop, his pistol throwing out huge fists of laser beams every time he pulled the trigger. The scallop shot back, blocking most of his attacks by the Chaser used this to his advantage. He shot three times, tempting the Brevon machine to shoot three times in order to block the shots. It did just that and as it was distracted, Torque ran around to the side of the machine and blasted it, knocking it down onto the ground before it could even realize what had hit it. As it landed, Torque ran over to it and stomped on the robo-scallop several times until his foot crushed it and ground it into the dirt. His face was full of content as he did this.

"I'll never get tired of this." he murmured, "Every Brevon robot I destroy is another slight against him. Which is the most he deserves."

Nearby, Knuckles and Carol had teamed up to take out several machines together. An Egg Hammer drone came lumbering towards the echidna and wildcat with its huge, meaty hammer raised high above its head. It would swing it down and crush the two in one simple slam. Knuckles ran towards the Egg Hammer and slammed both of his spiked fists into its knees. The Egg Hammer stumbled and almost fell over on top of Knuckles but Carol saved him from being squashed by charging in and uppercutting the Egg Hammer in the head. This threw it backwards and away from Knuckles, bringing it down onto its back instead of forwards and on top of the echidna. It wasn't down for long though. The huge Egg Pawn picked itself up and lumbered towards the two powerhouses, ready to snatch them up and smash them to pieces. Knuckles and Carol both smirked at each other as if this machine wasn't even worth the hassle. They charged towards the Egg Hammer and unleashed a rapid round of heavy fisticuffs each on it. The echidna and wildcat punched ferociously, tearing into the Egg Hammer and reducing it to scrap. The powerful machine was brought down onto its back, defeated and out of action once and for all.

But as it had been defeated, a Brevon machine trundled in. This one was a blue machine with guns in place of arms and treads in place of legs. There were three of them and they opened fire on Knuckles and Carol. The two dove for cover, avoiding the blasts just as they came whizzing towards them. Carol then did a U-turn and launched herself towards the machines, bounding on all fours like a cheetah chasing its prey. Then she pounced onto one of them, digging her claws into the machine's head and ripping off huge chunks of metal with little effort. Knuckles watched, impressed at the girl's ferocity. He could see why Carol was her team's resident muscle. The wildcat savagely tore away at the machine, destroying it and scattering its parts all over the grass. The other two machines blasted at her but they missed as Carol jumped back, leaving the machines to destroy what was left of their comrade. Knuckles then ran behind the two machines and grabbed hold of them both. Then effortlessly, as if they weighed nothing at all, he threw them into the air and sent them hurling straight into the path of a shooting tank. The tank's firepower hit the two machines and destroyed them instantly, their remains raining down onto the grass. Carol and Knuckles turned and smiled at each other, fist-bumping in congratulations.

"You're so awesome Spiky, you know that?!" the tomboy feline exclaimed.

"You ain't bad yourself Carol." Knuckles complimented, "We make quite a team out there."

"I'll say!" Carol cried, "Come on, let's kick some more ass together Spiky!"

"Right behind you Carol!" the echidna cried, eager to get in onto some more action.

As they ran on to take out some more machines, Amy, Neera, Cream and Gong charged together towards a group of Egg Flappers and a couple of robo-frogs. The Egg Flappers flew around like angry hornets waiting to sting their enemy. Their laser guns fired relentlessly as they tried to snag one of their targets. But not a single one of them landed a shot as The two Mobians and Avalicans ran around, dodging the attacks with ease. Gong then held up his shield to take a few of the blasts as Neera leapt into the air and fired beams of ice at the flapper. The ice beam hit the flying machine and froze it instantly. The Egg Flapper crashed down onto the ground, unable to do anything now it had been frozen. Amy promptly smashed the frozen machine into shards so it would be destroyed and out of action permanently. Cream flew towards one of the Egg Flappers and kicked at it. Her kicks didn't do much harm but her intention wasn't to destroy the robot. She had caught its attention and now the Egg Flapper was shooting at her. The rabbit flew away and soared past another Egg Flapper, causing the one shooting at her to hit that one by accident. The second flapper was stricken and brought crashing down to the ground by its comrade. As it landed, Gong lumbered over to it and picked up the small machine. He then threw it at the one that was shooting at Cream, the wrecked machine colliding heavily into the perfectly functional one and knocking it down onto the ground below. The two flappers lay in a crushed, mangled heap of metal as they hit the ground.

The robo-frogs then suddenly came onto the scene and opened their huge mouths to unleash a torrent of green energy bubbles at the four. The bubbles sailed towards the Mobians and Avalicians and came dangerously close to hitting them. But Neera Li was quick to put a stop to the attack by spinning on the spot and firing icy spears at the bubbles. They were frozen instantly and crashed down onto the ground like hail. As they hit the ground, they shattered to pieces like glass. The robo-frogs seemed almost gobsmacked at what had happened, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. But they quickly regained themselves and fired another round of energy bubbles at the foursome. Neera Li froze the attacks again but as she did this, Gong held his shield above his head as Amy jumped towards him. She landed on his shield and sprang into the air like a pink, furry missile aimed for its target. She screeched loudly as she hurtled towards the first robo-frog and swung her beefy hammer down right on top of its head, destroying it instantly. The other two closed in on her, aiming to blast her for destroying their comrade but before they could get Amy, Cream ran in and threw Cheese at the second machine's legs. This attack tripped it up, catching it by surprise as it was brought down crashing onto its side. Then before it could stand back up, Amy slammed her hammer down onto the amphibious designed robot. The slam reduced it to a flattened piece of metal on the ground. The third one was about to attack the two girls but before it could so much as open its mouth, Gong thundered towards it like an angry bull. He slammed straight into the robo-frog, taking it clean off its feet and throwing it down onto its side. While it was down, he began bashing his shield against it relentlessly until finally, he took it out and rendered it useless and defeated. The panda smirked triumphantly, clearly pleased to have done that. Amy gasped in amazement, impressed with Gong's strength and might.

"Wow, that was amazing!" she gasped, "The four of us make quite a team!"

"I'd agree on that Amy." Gong said gruffly, "Those robots don't stand a chance against us!"

"Just four of us against many of them and we come out on top." Neera said brightly, "Shows that machines are weak and we are superior."

"Indeed Miss Li!" Cream squeaked excitedly.

Not so far away from the four, Shadow, Rouge, Dail and Spade had teamed up together to fight against some Eggman and Brevon mercenaries. One of the foes they were up against was a large mutant like creature that was made up of several spheres. The largest one was its head and contained a singular eye and two pistols that could be positioned up or down, allowing it to shoot in several directions at once. It levitated above the ground, eyeing its victims menacingly with its wicked, evil eye. It was known as the Mutant Iris. Dail and Spade both remembered that one from Brevon's attack on Avalice last year. The mutant was surrounded by Egg Knights, golden coloured Egg Pawns that had shields and swords and a large spike on their helmets. They were a minor threat with the huge worm like Brevon mutant easily being the bigger threat but neither machine would be spared in the battle. Shadow skated towards some Egg Knights and threw a Chaos Spear at them. The Chaos Spear broke through their pitiful shields and pierced straight through them like an arrow through the heart. The machines were brought down instantly. Another Egg Knight swung its sword at Shadow, intending to cleave him clean in half but he missed as Shadow skated out of the way and spin-dashed the robot in the back, smashing it to pieces. Rouge flew through the air and screw-kicked down on any Egg Knight unfortunate enough to be in her way. Her powerful feet smashed straight through them, reducing them to fragments. Then she turned quickly as one of the Egg Knights came running towards her with its shield raised. She jumped up and kicked it between the optics, knocking it back and just before it could regain itself, she screw-kicked it in the head. Her onslaught tore its head clean off of its shoulders. The bat smirked at the dead machine.

"When will Eggman ever learn that robots are not good mooks?" she sneered.

"I doubt that day will ever come." Shadow scoffed, smirking along with Rouge.

Now the Egg Knights had been taken out, Dail and Spade were working together to fight against the Mutant Iris. Spade cupped his hands together and gave Dail a leg up, throwing him into the air and allowing the prince to hurtle straight towards its eye. He hit it, causing the Iris to recoil and screech in pain. Angered, Iris began shooting rapidly at the panda siblings, hoping to take them out. The shots came fast and furious but not fast enough to catch Dail or Spade. They booth boosted around it, constantly dodging as the shots came close to hitting them. Spade then threw waves of cards straight at the Iris. The cards sliced into the mutant, leaving huge cuts that streaked with blood. The mutant howled and shot at Spade. It missed him as he flash-stepped out of the way. Dail then pounced onto the back of the Iris and began pounding on it. The Iris flailed around, trying to shake the panda off but the king held on tightly. Then Spade jumped up and threw heavy card attacks straight into its back. The cards hit the creature heavily like a bombardment of missiles. This sent the Mutant Iris falling down towards the ground. As it landed, it ended up getting a rather nasty demise. It had fallen on an Egg Knight that had fallen to Shadow and Rouge. Its sword had been pointing up and it had landed straight on top of it, eye first. The sword was now impaled in its eye and had gone straight through into the very brain of the mutant. The Iris was dead before any pain registered. Viscous liquids seeped out from the penetrated eyeball. Blood or fluids from the eye? Dail and Spade could barely look at it so they turned away, not wishing to find out.

"That was disgusting…but at least we beat it." Dail said.

"Me and you are pretty good working together." Spade noted, "You sure you don't wanna be a Red Scarf brother?"

"Don't push it…" the king warned.

In the centre of the battlefield, Sonic and Lilac continued their crusade against Metal Sonic and Serpentine. They had been fighting hard and relentlessly but Metal Sonic and Serpentine were proving to be tough opponents. Even though Sonic and Lilac were fighting their most familiar foes, they were still being kept well on their toes as they fought. It was going to be a tough battle to win but the hedgehog and dragon refused to give up. They couldn't lose, not at this stage. Sonic and Metal Sonic chased each other around the battlefield, rushing by fighting robots and firing jeeps and tanks as they whizzed through. To Sonic's delight, he had caused Metal Sonic to get caught up in the crossfire unintentionally as he chased him. Metal Sonic was hit by stray lasers and bullets as he flew after Sonic. The shots didn't damage him too much but they slowed him down and even caused him to careen into the ground as he was stricken. Sonic skidded to a halt and smirked. He had unintentionally come up with a good idea on how to stop Metal Sonic. He spin-dashed towards his metallic nemesis, hitting him squarely in the head and throwing him backwards. The metallic machine skidded across the grass but he regained himself and spin-dashed towards Sonic. The hedgehog sneered, thinking on how stupid Metal Sonic was to fall for such an obvious trap. He was standing near a tank and had signalled to it. The tank had seen Metal Sonic and now it fired at him. The blast travelled quickly through the air and slammed straight into the robot Sonic clone. The blast was powerful enough to bring Metal Sonic crashing down onto his side, heavily damaged and smoking from the blast. Sonic smiled cockily at his nemesis, pleased to have won yet again.

"You really should stop trying to beat me!" he gloated, "You never win! Ha, ha, ha!"

Metal Sonic forced himself up onto his feet in defiance, keen to get the last laugh in the fight. He poised himself, ready for an attack. He was then taken by surprise as something whizzed straight into him and whisked him clean off of his feet. It wasn't Sonic who had done this, but Lilac. The dragon had dragon-boosted into Metal Sonic and she carried him a large distance away from Sonic. Lilac then slammed Metal Sonic down heavily onto the ground, heavily damaging his back and leaving heavy scuff marks all over his body. Then to finish off, she threw the machine up into the air and took him out with a Dragon Cyclone. Her tendrils scythed into the metal hedgehog's weakened body and tore him to pieces. Metal Sonic's remains rained down onto the ground, scattering everywhere like fallen snow. Sonic whistled, impressed at how Lilac had helped to finish off Metal Sonic for him. The dragon stood before the destroyed machine and smiled darkly at the pieces.

"That was for helping Eggman steal my world's Kingdom Energy and for kidnapping me earlier!" she declared.

"Thanks for the grand finish Lilac." Sonic complimented, "You sure know how to finish a fight."

"Thanks Sonic." Lilac said modestly, "I managed to get Serpentine distracted for a moment so I decided to come and help finish him off."

"Where is snakehead right now?" the hedgehog asked.

As if to answer the question for him, Serpentine's falcon mech suddenly came hurling out of nowhere and soared down towards the two heroes, its razor sharp talons bared and ready to slice them to ribbons. Sonic and Lilac yelped in alarm and they quickly jumped aside as the huge bird like machine slammed down onto the ground. Serpentine had missed by inches but he had come close. Too close for Sonic and Lilac's liking. They couldn't let him get a chance like this again or they wouldn't be so lucky. The snake general's face was twisted into a crazed smile as he prepared to attack again.

"I've had enough of your annoying tricks! Prepare for annihilation!" he bellowed.

The mech's cannons aimed at the two and began shooting. Lasers shot out from the cannons and scorched the grass as they hit. Sonic and Lilac both ran out of harm's way as the shots came whizzing towards them. They could feel the heat of the blasts as the shots came close to hitting them. But none of them hit home as the hedgehog and dragon continued to run. Serpentine began shooting wildly, cackling manically as he prepared to finish off Mobius and Avalice's biggest heroes. What a surprise this would be for Brevon! He would be so pleased with him! But his hopes were quickly dashed to pieces for the last thing he expected happened. Sonic and Lilac suddenly ran around either side of him and both Mobian and Avalician spin-dashed and dragon-boosted into him together. The general yelped as his mech was walloped by the two, an unpleasant shudder shimming through the machine and his seat as he felt the slam. Sonic then proceeded to continuously spin-dash the battle mech over and over again, not once giving Serpentine a chance to fight back. Lilac cyclone attacked the machine in the head, tearing away at it with her tendrils. The general could feel all the blows from inside his cockpit, the interior shuddering with every hit. Then Sonic smashed straight through one of the cannons, tearing it away from its socket and throwing it down onto the ground. Lilac's Dragon Cyclone damaged the head so much that she was able to smash the cockpit window and land on top of Serpentine's control panel. She then grabbed the snake and hurled him out of the machine while Sonic proceeded to tear the remainder of it apart, punching holes through every inch of it and reducing it to a pile of wrecked metal. The falcon mech fell down onto the ground with a heavy crash, smoke billowing out from the wreckage. Serpentine lay on the ground, dismayed at the destruction of his beautiful machine. Lilac stood over him as Sonic approached him with a confident, triumphant smirk on his face. Then he suddenly socked Serpentine straight in the mouth and knocked him out.

"THAT was for helping Brevon steal the Master Emerald and for kidnapping me!" he shouted.

"I'm so glad you did that Sonic. He deserved it." Lilac said approvingly.

"I'll say." Sonic agreed, "Now all we have to do is wait and see if anybody can penetrate the Egg Dreadnought." he added, looking up at the evil vessel looming just above the battle.

"Indeed so." Lilac said, "And I think our chance is here…" she added, looking to her left and smiling.

Sonic looked in Lilac's direction and saw why she was smiling. The cavalry had arrived at last. Approaching the chaotic battle scene was a platoon of green and blue jeeps and tanks with green and blue helicopters and airships flying just above them. Shang Mu and Shuigang's Royal Armies were coming. The Magister of Shang Tu and the people of Shuigang had received Tails and Torque's message and they had sent out their armies to help save the world. The two armies approached the huge scene before them and they all began to open fire. Lasers and missiles streaked the sky as they shot at Brevon and Eggman's forces and fired at the Egg Dreadnought. The Dreadnought began to shoot at them as well as the Shang Mu and G.U.N. forces but it didn't have enough cannons to fend off four armies at once. It was already weakened by the first two and wouldn't hold out for long against the two new arrivals. The Eggman and Brevon minions were obliterated as the blue and green armies shot at them, killing mutants and destroying machines alike. They could hardly defend the Egg Dreadnought now they were being so quickly wiped out. The Mobians and Avalicians whooped with joy as this happened. The whole battle was theirs. They couldn't possibly lose now. And as if to shed more light to this already glorious scenario, the Egg Dreadnought's hull was weakening ever more as it was bombarded relentlessly from all angles, hardly able to fight off the onslaughts being thrown at it. It continued to fire back feebly but it was like trying to win a snowball match against ten people at once. You would land a few hits but inevitably, you would be the one who gets the most hits in return. Tank blasts, jeep guns and air-to-air missiles slammed heavily against the exterior, causing heavy dents and tearing away small chunks of metal at a time.

And then at last, the break through happened. A missile from a Shang Tu tank and a missile from a G.U.N. jet combine with laser fire from Shuigang's tanks and gunfire from G.U.N.'s jeeps tore a gaping hole straight through the centre of the ship. This was where the control room was and Syntax was instantly vaporized by the explosion that punched through the penetrated section of the ship. She hadn't even had time to prepare before the breakthrough had happened and a fist of flames punched through the control room. Smoke billowed out from the hole in the Egg Dreadnought. Sonic and Lilac punched the air in excitement.

"YES! We can get inside and put an end to the two dweebs once and for all!" Sonic cried out.

"You bet!" Lilac exclaimed.

Tails and Milla ran over to Sonic and Lilac, knowing exactly what to do next.

"We'll get you two up there!" Milla hollered.

"Good luck in there you two!" Tails cried as he took hold of Sonic.

"No sweat buddy! We'll be fine!" Sonic announced.

"The apocalypse ends now!" Lilac declared, "Milla, take me in there!"

Milla obeyed and she carried Lilac up towards the Egg Dreadnought with a flap of her ears. Tails twisted his tails around one another and took flight with Sonic in two. The two kids flew the hedgehog and dragon straight up towards the smoking ship, leaving their teams to help finish off the army of robots and mutants still left to fight back. They could see that it was going to be a very one-sided match now with four armies plus their friends obliterating the remaining mooks. They wouldn't be needed to help finish it off. The armies had stopped shooting at the Dreadnought since they all knew that Sonic and Lilac were going to board it and get the Kingdom Emerald. Their attention was only the Eggman and Brevon minions. Sonic and Lilac stared ahead as the Egg Dreadnought grew larger and larger as they continued to get closer. Tails and Milla held them directly in front of the hole that had been blown into the ship. The fox and hound then let go of their friends. They fell for a split second and then spin-dashed and dragon-boosted straight towards the ship. Their attacks carried them through the air and straight through the hole. Tails and Milla flew back down to the ground, their job done for now. Sonic and Lilac landed on the floor inside the ship, coughing as they got a whiff of the smoke. They quickly ran out of the control room and headed on down the corridor to find their enemies.

"Search the whole ship!" Sonic ordered, "We have to find Eggman, Brevon and the Kingdom Emerald so we can save our worlds!"

"You don't have to tell me twice buddy!" Lilac announced.

She and her Mobian friend sped on through the corridors, looking for their enemies and the only thing that could save their soon to be obliterated worlds. Time was ticking and their two worlds would be further trying to separate. Things were going well but it wasn't time to relax just yet. They still had to undo Brevon and Eggman's meddling and they knew that time was running out as the end of Mobius and Avalice dared to come closer…

* * *

 _ **And now the climax begins...ladies and gentlemen, the fight you've all been waiting for in this crossover is finally here! Sonic the Hedgehog and Lilac the Dragon Girl vs. Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon, in all its glory! Join in next time as the fight of the entire crossover finally commences!**_


	14. Chapter 13: Cancelling the Apocalypse

**Act 3**

 _Chapter 13: Cancelling the Apocalypse_

Despite the heavy onslaughts that the Egg Dreadnought had been receiving, particularly the one that had caused a huge chunk of the front of the ship to be blown out and the control room to be utterly obliterated, two people onboard the ship were completely oblivious about the whole thing. Mainly because they had other concerns to deal with at this moment. Concerns that meant they could hardly afford to worry about anything else at this time.

Dr. Eggman and Lord Brevon were engaged in a brutal battle with one another, both villains fighting for the fates of Mobius and Avalice. One wanted to save them, the other wanted them to destroy each other as they tried to separate and break free of the limbo they were trapped in. And given how big the stakes were, neither Eggman nor Brevon dared to go easy on one another. If they wanted to win this battle, they had to give it their all.

The vicious alien swept across the floor as he charged towards Eggman at a fantastic speed. He was renowned for his great agility as well as his savage battle prowess. Eggman wasn't too taken aback at this for he had built his new Egg Breaker to be able to keep up with Sonic, who was a hundred times faster than Brevon. Brevon jumped up into the air with seemingly little effort and he came hurling towards the fat doctor, his knife brandished and a crazed look in his eyes. Eggman sneered and backhanded him onto the floor with his mech's left hand. The alien cried out loud as he was hit and thrown down onto the floor. He picked himself up, seemingly unhurt by the blow and he whipped out a laser pistol that he had on him for occasions like this. He blasted at the Egg Breaker three times, hitting it in the torso and causing it to stagger backwards. The pistol was more powerful than it looked, being able to take down opponents much larger than Brevon himself. The Egg Breaker regained itself and Eggman aimed his mech's right arm at the extra-terrestrial villain. It fired its mace hand at Brevon, sending it rushing through the air like a spiked meteorite. The warlord dodged the blow, leaving the mace to crash down onto the floor on the spot he had just been seconds ago. Brevon stampeded towards the huge machine just as it retracted its mace hand and he slashed at its legs with his knife. His knife was absurdly sharp, even by its standards. Brevon would cut the Egg Breaker to pieces if he was given the chance.

Eggman growled in annoyance and pulled back on the joystick. The Egg Breaker's leg swung up and flicked Brevon into the air. The alien spiralled crazily as he was thrown but he managed to position himself just right so he landed feet first onto the wall. He sprung himself off the wall and hurled towards his human opponent. Eggman grinned, sneering at Brevon's mistake as he drew the mace arm across the mech's chest and then swung. He hit Brevon and sent him flying slap bang into the wall. The alien grunted as he hit the wall and crashed down onto the floor. He had been cut by the spikes on the mace and snarled at the sight of his own blood trickling down his face and arms. His armour had thankfully protected him from most of the impact so he hadn't been as damaged as he could've been. Straining, Brevon got up to his feet just as the Egg Breaker spun its torso around and sent huge energy balls whooshing towards him from all directions.

"You know what they say, the MORE the merrier!" Eggman cackled.

Brevon had recovered just in time to dodge the attacks, leaping over them in a graceful somersault as they came at him. He landed down on the floor and decided to unleash one of his most powerful attacks. He glowed green all of a sudden as he suddenly whooshed up into the air like a rocket. He went up at first and then came straight down towards Eggman. He crashed straight into the Egg Breaker, leaving a dent in its chest as he hit it and knocking it back. He wasn't finished yet though. He soared up again and then hurled straight down into the Egg Breaker once more, slamming into it from behind. This attack caused the machine to topple over and crash down onto the floor. Eggman yelped as he was knocked down. His machine picked itself up but just as he did so, Brevon suddenly sprang up from directly underneath him, slashing upwards with his knife and leaving a heavy scratch that started from the pelvis section and reached its head. If he slashed again, the scratch would be a cut. The alien world conqueror landed down on the floor before Eggman, grinning maliciously at him.

 **"You are unwise to take on somebody like me…"** he gloated.

He then whipped out his laser pistol again and fired several times at Eggman. The searing hot plasma blasts hammered into the Egg Breaker's tough armour. The shots left heavy dents in the machine but the damage wasn't enough to slow the machine down in anyway. The obese scientist growled angrily as his opponent shot at him. He would show Brevon what for! He jumped up into the air with the mace hand raised high above the mech's head.

"Lights out!" he cried.

The Egg Breaker plummeted down to the ground like a cannonball, forcing Brevon to jump backwards before he could be hit. But the machine crashed down, making the floor shudder and its mace slammed into the floor, sending a shockwave that hit Brevon like a punch to the face. He was thrown backwards and slammed into the wall by the attack. The mad doctor laughed manically as his downed opponent tried to get back up. He then seized hold of Brevon with the Egg Breaker's left hand and picked him up. He slammed him against the wall, making the alien cry out in pain. He struggled to break free but the mech's grip was far too strong for him. Eggman chortled triumphantly as he glared at Brevon.

"See what happens when you double cross me?!" he sneered.

 **"I wasn't the one who planned the first move."** Brevon retorted.

"Details, details." Eggman said dismissively, "Any last words before I crush you with my giant metal hand my lord?"

 **"Only this...you haven't won yet."** the alien purred.

Eggman dismissed his claim and then proceeded to tighten his grip on Brevon, squeezing him like a tube of toothpaste. But then the warlord showed what he meant by those words as he pulled a mine out from his cloak and threw it at the Egg Breaker's foot. The mine attached itself to the huge metal foot and exploded, taking the foot with it. Eggman cried out in alarm as his machine found itself wobbling dangerously, almost over-balancing. This caused it to drop Brevon in order to focus on keeping its balance. It fought for balance, trying to keep its centre of gravity fixed on its remaining foot while using the stump of its leg to keep itself steady. Brevon cackled confidently, pleased to have escaped death with minutes to spare. He then whipped out his knife and slashed at the Egg Breaker once again, splattering ooze around the edges of the huge cut he left in its body. The machine stumbled and Brevon then knocked it over by jumping up and drop-kicking it in the face. The kick was surprisingly powerful despite the alien being so much shorter than the battle mech. Eggman yelepd as the Egg Breaker tumbled down onto its back. He quickly stood back up and prepared to fight again. Brevon braced himself, feet apart and centre of gravity balanced as he poised for another strike. But then before anything else could happen, an alarm suddenly blared through the ship. An electronic voice rang out through the intercom system.

"Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!"

The two villains were dumbfounded by the words they had just heard. Intruder alert! That meant there was an intruder on the ship! But how?! Their ship was impenetrable! But they knew their alarm system was sophisticated and accurate, they couldn't dismiss it. The two stopped what they were doing and glanced at each other.

"Talk about bad timing..." Dr. Eggman growled.

 **"We've been invaded..."** Lord Brevon grumbled, **"And I have a nasty feeling I know who the intruder, or intruders, are..."**

"No doubt Sonic and Lilac have got onboard." the doctor sighed, "Well, looks like our rivalry will have to wait Brevon!"

 **"I agree doctor. We can't let those two ruin everything for us now!"** the monster agreed, **"If we let them interfere now, we both lose and neither of us benefit from it!"**

"So like it or not, we're going to have to reinstate our alliance."

 **"For now..."**

The two villains nodded, knowing that reluctantly, they had to team up again. One wanted the world saved, the other wanted it destroyed. If their enemies got in their way and took the Kingdom Emerald, than they would both lose. Eggman wouldn't get to conquer Mobius and Brevon wouldn't see Avalice destroyed. It was for their benefits that they stopped Sonic and Lilac now. The Egg Breaker's cranium opened up as Eggman stood up and climbed down from the machine.

"I'll have to get myself a new machine for the fight." he announced, "Can't fight Sonic in this condition can I?"

 **"And I'll have to use the Kingdom Emerald to heal my wounds."** Brevon noted, **"I must remain at full strength if we're to succeed."**

Eggman nodded as he wandered over to another battle mech to use in his fight against Sonic. Brevon himself headed out into the corridor to get an elevator up to the top floor, the floor that housed the Kingdom Emerald. He and Eggman were still going to win. They had the power of the Kingdom Emerald and they could use it against Sonic and Lilac. The two would regret ever trespassing in the Egg Dreadnought when he and Eggman were through. And once the two were dead, they could resume their fight and claim the emerald for themselves. For both Eggman or Brevon, the whole situation was a win-win scenario...

* * *

In the centre of the Egg Dreadnought, Sonic and Lilac were whizzing down the corridors, keeping a keen eye out for any signs of their enemies. They knew most of their away around the ship thanks to having been through it whilst they had been corrupted. In a way, they had to thank Eggman and Brevon for making them a Robolician and a Mutant respectively. They knew exactly how they were going to thank the two once they found them though, with a big, bruising beating. As they ran, they looked around for any signs of an elevator. They had a feeling that if the two hadn't been in the control room, they would be in the upper floors. The Kingdom Emerald could well be there too. What better place to keep an insanely powerful gem that had the power to fuse two worlds together as if it was nothing that challenging? Once they got the emerald, they could put an end to the coming doomsday. The two then suddenly stopped dead in their tracks as they heard an ear-splitting sound outside. It was muffled for they were in the Dreadnought but they could hear it clearly enough. And they knew exactly what it was. Another earthquake. Sonic looked stunned whereas Lilac grew instantly worried. Every quake they heard meant doomsday was closer and it was waiting to happen anytime now. They even heard a loud bang that sounded louder than the quake itself. It felt as if it had happened underneath them. What was it? The ground tearing apart? The hedgehog and dragon could hardly dare to imagine the chaos outside. The sound lasted for a few moments before it finally ceased and everything returned to normal. They imagined that the earthquake had done something terrible though. Maybe more of the world's cities had fallen and the ground had cracked some more. Were there friends OK? Had they felt the quake?

"That definitely didn't sound good..." Sonic mused.

"I know...I'll be amazed if the planet's still there after that!" Lilac shrieked.

"My buddies and your buddies better be OK otherwise Eggman will end up hoping he can run faster than me..." the hedgehog growled.

"Brevon won't get any mercy from me if anybody's hurt down there..." the dragon said coldly, "Come on, let's get the Kingdom Emerald and fix this mess!"

Sonic nodded and sprinted off with Lilac close behind him. They didn't run for very long for they found exactly what they had been looking for, an elevator. It was set in the wall as if trying not to be noticed. Sonic pressed a button and the doors opened. He gestured for Lilac to go in first.

"Ladies first as they say." he said politely.

Lilac smiled and stepped into the elevator. Sonic followed and the doors closed behind them. There was a control panel set in the wall on Lilac's left. There were buttons and Lilac pressed one that said "Top Floor". Sonic understood. The top floor was the best place to start looking for the Kingdom Emerald. They allowed the silence to linger for a moment as the elevator took them up. They felt the gears turning beneath their feet, pushing the capsule up and up without stopping. Sonic cleared his throat, not wanting to be in silence anymore.

"OK, once we get up there, we search for the emerald." Sonic declared, "If Eggman and Brevon are there, we kick their butts as well."

"You sure about that?" Lilac asked doubtfully, "I mean, aren't we gonna be wasting time if we fight the two monsters? Our worlds are at stake Sonic. We have to focus squarely on the emerald."

"Maybe so but a part of me wants to lay the smack down on Eggman." the hedgehog shrugged, "Not to mention I always did enjoy making a total monkey outta him."

"Please Sonic, the world matters more than your vendetta." the dragon said sternly, "You can beat Eggman up later. Time is ticking, we can't afford to waste any of it."

Sonic frowned but said nothing. He knew that Lilac was right.

"Eh, I suppose you're right." he said, "If we waste anytime fighting the Evil Twins, we risk losing our worlds. We'll make the emerald our top priority."

"Thank you Sonic." Lilac said sweetly, "I knew you'd see reason in the end."

"What can I say? I'm a good thinker when I slow down for a change." Sonic said casually.

"Never thought I'd hear you mention the "s" word." Lilac giggled.

"Hey, slow's not a foreign word to me!" Sonic laughed, "At least some of the time." he admitted

The two were suddenly interrupted by a ding sound as the elevator arrived at its destination. The shuddering in their feet stopped and the doors opened. They had arrived at the top floor of the Egg Dreadnought. They hadn't been in this room when they had been prisoners earlier. The two stepped out of the room with great caution, vigilantly looking out for any signs of danger. There was none around so they ventured forward. The top floor was one big room that was circular in shape and had an arched ceiling. It was like being inside the top of an egg shell, minus the yolk and the shell being metallic. Right in the centre of the room, glowing softly, was the Kingdom Emerald. It pulsated a malevolent shade of blue and then switched between shades of green as the energy swirled around inside. The colours shifted constantly, becoming blue and green with either colour taking turns being the dominant colour. Sonic and Lilac were almost hypnotized by the dancing waves of blue and green. They had never seen anything looking so peaceful and so beautiful before in their lives. There were things that many didn't want to destroy due to their intense beauty. In their eyes, this was one of them, something magnificent to cherish forever.

"My god...it's so beautiful..." Lilac murmured.

"The Master Emerald and the Kingdom Energy...combined to make this." Sonic mused, "I could watch that thing all day. It's so...magical."

"Yeah...but we can't just admire the thing." the dragon sighed, "Come on, let's fix Mobius and Avalice."

"Coming up!" the hedgehog declared, "Though I do have to ask, will it work differently than usual given it's the Master Emerald mixed with the Kingdom Energy?"

"What do you mean?" Lilac asked.

"Well when we use the Master Emerald, or the seven Chaos Emeralds, we would have to touch the emerald and say "Chaos Control"." Sonic explained, "Chaos Energy transforms thoughts into power. What does the Kingdom Energy do?"

"Well...I'm not sure outside of keeping our planet alive." Lilac said thoughtfully, "The Kingdom Energy is what keeps Avalice going. Its energy gives us power and helps us survive. I'm not sure if it could do what your Master Emerald could. Though I suppose if the energies are combined..."

"It should more or less work the same way..." the hedgehog finished, "I mean it worked for Eggman and Brevon so why not us?"

"I agree." the dragon murmured, "So let's try it. It's the only option we have now..."

Sonic nodded and he began to walk towards the Kingdom Emerald. Lilac followed him, keeping close beside him. The two still remained vigilant as they approached the emerald, expecting some kind of security feature to spring out at any moment. There was no way in hell that Eggman and Brevon would leave a gem of vast power standing in a room like this unprotected. There had to be some kind of security. To their amazement though, there didn't seem to be anything at all. No guards, no hidden lasers, no trip wires, nothing. The Kingdom Emerald seemed completely unguarded. This made Lilac feel uneasy. This wasn't Brevon's style! She had a feeling that Eggman wouldn't be as stupid as this either. Sonic however seemed to disagree. He looked more relaxed as if he'd allowed himself to believe that it was going to be as straight forward as this. If there was no security than that meant they were safe. But the hedgehog was gravely mistaken. As he approached the emerald, a huge blue suddenly shot out from nowhere and if Sonic hadn't reacted in the split second he had to react, he would've been killed. His reflexes had saved him. He gasped as he ducked and felt the sweep of a dagger blade slashing at the air just above his head. Lilac leapt back, surprised at what had happened. She supposed that she should've expected it though. Lord Brevon had been there to defend the Kingdom Stone when he'd stolen it last month so why not do the same again? The alien warlord stood towering above Sonic with a maniacal look in his fearsome red eyes. The hedgehog stepped back, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. Brevon had been hiding behind the Kingdom Emerald, having used it to heal himself first, and had been using the shadows to mask his presence until the time was right to come out and strike. He had come dangerously close to killing Sonic thanks to his patience and well use of shadows to hide himself. He cackled as he took in the sight of his arch-enemy and her Mobian friend standing before him.

 **"You heroes are so predictable."** he crowed, **"It was plainly obvious from the start that once you'd broken into our ship, you'd come looking for the Kingdom Emerald. Your lack of subtlety nearly cost you your lives!"**

"Yeah well we're not dead yet Lord Unibrow!" Sonic crowed, "And you made a big mistake allowing us to get here! We can use the Kingdom Emerald any chance we get now!"

"Face it Brevon, you and Eggman have sealed your own doom because of this." Lilac snorted.

 **"Oh I sincerely doubt that."** the vicious, bloodthirsty killer cackled, **"You two will have to get past me first. And there's also my comrade to take into account too..."**

"Oh really?" Sonic sneered, "Well, I don't see Baldy McNoseHair anywhere so it looks like you're on your own fuzzy eyes!"

Once again, Sonic was proven to be deathly mistaken. He and Lilac heard the faint whistling sound of something swinging through the air down towards them just seconds after the former had finished talking. Reacting quickly, the two heroes jumped back as a huge checkered mace slammed down onto the floor. If they had reacted a second later, they would've been crushed by the heavy metal ball. The two gasped as a huge battle mech emerged from the shadows, retracting its mace into its hand. The machine was round and spherical and resembled Dr. Eggman's own physique to some degree. It even had a metallic moustache under its visor for good measure. It was armed with back mounted rocket launchers, the mace that had come close to crushing Sonic and Lilac seconds ago and a huge shield with a star in the centre. It was by far the most potent looking machine Eggman had built in a while and looked like a serious threat. The two stood their ground as Eggman cackled from inside the mech.

"Like my new toy Sonic?" he cackled, "I call it the Egg Beater! It's a machine I've been saving for such a special occasion like this! I've built it to be on par with your skills and strengths so don't think you'll be taking me out any time soon! This Egg Beater will beat you into the dirt Sonic!"

"That's funny, there isn't any dirt in this room." the hedgehog snickered, "And I'm glad you showed up Eggman. I owe you a pain in the noggin for teaming up with Brevon, fusing our worlds together and turning Lilac into a robot!"

"And I owe you one for stealing the Kingdom Energy and causing all of this to happen!" Lilac snarled, "Thanks to you two, our worlds are killing each other! They're breaking apart as we speak and unless you let us have the Kingdom Emerald, we're all going to die!"

 **"We know."** Brevon retorted, **"Me and Eggman investigated the matter after you'd raved about it to us. It turned out you were not leading us astray after all."**

"Then why are you here to stop us?!" Sonic demanded angrily, "Don't you care what's gonna happen if you don't let us fix your mess?!"

"Oh we care alright!" Eggman declared, "We just don't want YOU two to fix the problem! We want to fix it ourselves but we want you two out of the picture so once the problem's fixed, you won't get in our way as we reassert our control of this world!"

"That doesn't excuse you getting in our way in the slightest!" Lilac retorted, "All you're doing is wasting time! You're just going to bring our worlds closer to destroying each other! Please, use your common sense and just stand down and let us use the emerald! For our sakes, FOR THE SAKE OF OUR WORLDS AND EVERYBODY ON THEM!"

 **"Not a chance dragon."** Brevon growled, brandishing his knife, **"The fusion world is ours and if you want to save it, then you have to fight us first. After all, you're so keen to throw your lives away and interfere with our conquest so why not fight us for the world's fate?"**

"You either fight us or back away and leave it to us to stop the coming apocalypse mongrels!" the scientist growled, "These are your only options!"

Sonic and Lilac glared at their enemies, angered with them for being so stubborn and short-sighted. How could they dare to risk the world ending just so they could have the pleasure of getting rid of them so they wouldn't have anyone to get in their way once their reign was reinstated?! All they were doing was wasting valuable time! But it seemed that they had no choice in the matter. If they wanted the world saving, they had to fight them off. They could maybe use the fight as a distraction and help them to get closer to the Kingdom Emerald. There was still a chance that they wouldn't run out of time. Sonic and Lilac bent down into combat stances, ready to strike.

"Well...you want your butts kicking so we'll happily do that for you." Sonic said coldly.

"You better prepare for this, you'll never be a match for the dragon and hedgehog you've unleashed today!" Lilac growled.

Yelling loudly, the hedgehog and dragon rocketed towards their respective enemies. Sonic leapt into the air like a spring and spin-dashed towards Eggman. He looked as if he'd been fired from a cannonball as he hurled towards his arch enemy. Eggman just laughed as if the whole thing was amusing to him and he proceeded to hold up his mech's shield. Sonic hit the shield and bounced off of it harmlessly, not leaving so much as a scratch on it. The Mobian cried out as he was sent careening away. He had thought Eggman had exaggerated the strength of the Egg Breaker but he now saw that he had been mistaken. He landed down on the floor, glancing up as the Egg Breaker held up its right arm and swung the mace down towards him. The hedgehog sped out of the way, moving in a blue blur as the mace slammed down on the spot he had momentarily just occupied. The huge checkered ball left a dent in the floor, causing a few panels to stick up. Sonic made a mental note to avoid that area so he wouldn't trip over the protruding panels. He jumped up and homing attacked the Egg Breaker, hitting it in the shoulder of its shield arm. His attack caused Eggman to feel a tiny shudder in the left side of his cockpit but nothing more. The scientist cackled as Sonic just started to fall back down to the floor. In the seconds Sonic was in the air, the Egg Breaker lashed out and backhanded Sonic with the shield arm. The strike sent him flying across the room and into the elevator doors. The Mobian cried out as he crashed and fell down onto the floor. He forced himself back onto his feet, wincing slightly as his bones tried to knit together again.

"Hey...you actually made a mech that's actually a challenge. Kudos." Sonic said casually, "Just means it'll be more humiliating for you when I tear it apart!"

"I hope you've got plenty of jokes left rodent because you won't be spouting them out for much longer!" Eggman crowed.

The Egg Beater's arms straightened out and he began firing laser beams at Sonic. The lasers came at him, hot and deadly, like fleets of arrows. The hedgehog quickly rushed out of the way and sped around the room, keeping well ahead of the lasers. He then ran towards the mech's legs and began running around them in a circle. He was hoping to use his Sonic Tornado move to take out the machine. But as he ran around, the Egg Beater's scanners timed his movements perfectly and it then lowered down the shield. This caused Sonic to end up whizzing straight into the shield, hitting it centre on. The hedgehog barely even knew what had happened as he ran into the tough shield. He felt as if he'd knocked the wind out of himself and he found himself on his back, rubbing his face better. Then Eggman raised the Egg Beater's left foot and prepared to stomp it down on his stunned opponent. Luckily, Sonic reacted just in time and managed to roll out of the way as the huge foot slammed down just centimeters beside him. He was still in much pain and it took all his strength to stand up again. He wasn't given a moment to rest as Eggman suddenly walloped him with the mace again, throwing him up into the ceiling with terrific force. The hedgehog was so stunned by the impact that he considered it miraculous that he hadn't passed out. He fell back down onto the floor, wincing tensely. Fighting off the pain, he forced himself back into the fight just as the Egg Breaker came stampeding towards him.

Very close by, Lilac and Brevon were savagely fighting against each other. To them both, this was beginning to feel like a repeat of what they'd been going through last month, fighting to the death for the fate of a world. Brevon was determined to have the outcome be the opposite of what had happened in their last encounter. He whipped out his pistol and blasted several times at Lilac. He only missed due to the dragon's great speed as she ran around the room to dodge his shots. However, the alien had a sneaky tactic in mind. He took out a mine from his cloak and threw it down into Lilac's path. The dragon saw it and tried to stop before she could accidentally step on it but she was going too fast. Just as she skidded and spun on her heel, her foot just brushed against the mine, setting it off and blowing herself across the room as the explosion hit her as if a giant fist had come out of thin air to punch her. The dragon screeched as she was blown off her feet and thrown across the floor. She came to a painful stop and grimaced, her bones still shaking from the explosion. She forced herself back onto her feet just as Brevon swept across the floor and rammed straight into her. He hit her and sent her stumbling into a wall. Lilac was momentarily disoriented by the slam, not helped by the fact she was still recovering from the mine explosion. Then Brevon grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall, a twisted smirk stretched across his hideous face. His grip tightened, making his Avalician opponent gag desperately for air.

 **"Why do you always throw your life away just to put yourself in death's clutches?"** he sneered confidently.

"So...that I...can save my friends...and my world...from freaks like you!" Lilac choked.

Brevon just laughed and threw her across the room, doing so with ease as if Lilac barely weighed anything. The dragon spun through the air and hit the floor, crying out loud as she hit. With determination still burning in her soul, she was far from ready to give up. She forced herself onto her feet and Dragon-Boosted straight into her evil opponent. Due to being powered up by the Kingdom Emerald as a result of healing himself with it earlier, the boost didn't harm Brevon as much as it normally would've done. It didn't stop Lilac from knocking him off his feet and into a wall. He grunted as he hit the wall but shrugged it off as if nothing had happened. Lilac and Brevon then proceeded to throw punches at each other, blocking either one's attacks multiple times as they tried to hit one another. But then Brevon lashed out with his knee and drove it into the draconian heroine's gut. Lilac doubled over, coughing and spluttering as the wind was sucked out of her. Then Brevon seized Lilac by the tendrils and swung her into a wall. The slam was heavy enough to make Lilac scream in pain and for a moment, she wondered if any of her bones had broken. She didn't get to find out as Brevon threw her across the room again, sending her crashing into the elevator doors. She groaned, trying to get her body to obey her and pick herself up. Her mind ordered her muscles to work but her muscles refused as they ached in protest. Eventually, the dragon girl was able to stand back up again and brace herself for another attack.

As Sonic and Lilac were about to resume their fights, Eggman and Brevon beat them to the punch, in a very literal sense as they rushed forward and walloped both Sonic and Lilac together. They sent the hedgehog and dragon hurling across the room and straight into a wall. The two hit it together, so heavily that for a moment, they both wondered if they were dead yet. They collapsed to the floor and winced tensely. That was good, they could still feel pain. That meant they weren't dead yet. They were both looking very worse for wear as they picked themselves up and rubbed themselves better. Lilac grunted as she eased the pain in her back. Sonic massaged his head, trying to clear it.

"You...ungh...you OK Lilac?" Sonic asked.

"I ache all over but I'll manage." the dragon muttered, "Eggman and Brevon aren't kidding around this time..."

"I know..." the hedgehog grumbled, "Eggman's mech suit is a match for me! More than a match even!"

"And Brevon seems stronger than before..." Lilac murmured, "Maybe he got a boost from the Kingdom Emerald."

"Possibly." Sonic agreed, "Which is why we need to try and get a boost ourselves!"

"We're not getting anywhere with the sadist brothers trying to kill us though." the teen reptile sighed, "We'll have to try and take them out long enough for us to get near the emerald."

"You still up for a fight?" the teen hedgehog asked.

"Absolutely." Lilac winked.

"Then let's go!" Sonic winked back.

The two catapulted themselves straight towards Eggman and Brevon as if they'd been fired from a gun. They were blurs to the two villains as they came rocketing towards them at a ridiculous speed. The two barely even had time to react before they were spin-dashed and dragon-boosted together and thrown backwards into a wall. They grunted but they were otherwise unhurt, picking themselves up as quickly as they had been knocked down. The Egg Beater deployed its mace and swung it straight towards Sonic. He missed as the hedgehog whizzed out the way but to Eggman's surprise, he didn't try to attack him back. Instead, Lilac leapt up and unleashed a cyclone attack on the head section of the Egg Beater. Her tendrils slashed against the head, leaving faint scratches. Eggman was slightly taken aback as he hadn't expected Lilac to attack him. He quickly regained himself and swatted at her but Sonic spin-dashed straight into the Egg Beater's hand to stop it from hitting Lilac. Brevon saw this and while he would be content to just let Sonic and Lilac rip Eggman apart, he needed him to help him stay on top of the two heroes. Reluctantly, he charged over to the Egg Beater and backhanded Sonic away from it. Lilac turned and whipped the alien with her tendrils, angered at his interference. Brevon took the blow and yanked his dagger out from his cape. He aimed for Lilac's neck, hoping to take her head off but the dragon reacted just in time to save her head. Instead, she got slashed across the side of her face. She howled in agony, clutching the cut and wincing in pain. Enraged, Sonic rocketed towards the galactic overlord and spin-dashed straight into him. His attacks had a habit of being stronger when he was angry and Brevon now got a taster of it as he was thrown aside by the spin-dash. He growled in annoyance and took out his blaster. He waited until Sonic came at him again and he shot at his feet. The shot hit him, tripping him up and sending him sprawling on the floor.

Lilac gasped and ran over to help Sonic as Brevon stomped towards him but then suddenly, she was swept off her feet by a heavy club from the Egg Breaker's mace. She hadn't even been able to cry out in pain, her voice cracking from the impact before it could escape her throat. The dragon hurled through the air and landed on top of Sonic. The two heroes lay there for a moment as Brevon seized them both by their necks. He hauled the two up off the floor and tightened his grip on them. Both hedgehog and dragon choked and gasped as the alien's huge hands closed around their necks. Then Brevon proceeded to slam the two together heavily, disorienting them for a minute. Before the two could even regain their senses, the nefarious world conqueror tossed them over to Eggman, who then proceeded to use the Egg Breaker's shield to "cushion" their impact. They hit the shield heavily, pain flaring through their bodies and then Eggman suddenly had the Egg Breaker swing the shield arm, flicking the two off the shield and into the elevator doors. The doors had already been weakened from earlier and now as Sonic and Lilac crashed into them, they knocked the doors clean off their hinges and found themselves sitting inside the elevator for a moment. The two were forced to lie there for a moment, unable to pick themselves up due to how badly hurt they were. Their muscles refused to function as they took a moment to regather their strength. Then suddenly, Sonic had an idea. He sat up as Brevon came stampeding towards them with his dagger in hand and ready for a slice. He picked up Lilac bridal style and waited for the right moment to make his move. Just as Brevon pounced, the hedgehog suddenly thumped the down button on the elevator and sped out out of the way, leaving Brevon to crash into the elevator. As he entered the capsule, the elevator plunged straight down, taking Brevon with it. Sonic knew it wouldn't keep him out for long since Brevon would simply take the elevator back up but for now, the evens were odd and he and Lilac had a better chance of getting to the Kingdom Emerald.

He put Lilac down, the dragon smiling at him over his clever plan. The Egg Beater then came thundering towards them like an overweight gorilla, spinning the mace around above the head and preparing to attack. Sonic and Lilac reacted first, zooming towards the robot and slamming into its feet, tripping it up and causing it to roll across the floor in a comedic scene of roly-poly. It didn't help how the machine was mostly spherical in shape. The Egg Breaker hit the wall, a loud groan coming from inside as Eggman felt the impact. Seizing their chances, Sonic and Lilac sped towards the Kingdom Emerald but unfortunately, the Egg Breaker recovered too quickly and zapped them both in the back with a wrist laser, bringing them down onto their knees. The huge Eggman mech then stood up again and ran towards them, the mace spinning above its head again. Sonic and Lilac quickly recovered and one spin-dashed the head while the other Dragon-Boosted into the pelvis section. The combined attacks knocked the Egg Breaker clean off its feet and down onto its back. The two heroes then ran towards the Kingdom Emerald once again but had to divert away from it as Eggman sent a rocket firing towards them. The missile sliced through the air, chasing after them as they ran. They purposefully led the missile away from the emerald, not wanting the missile to destroy it or damage it. Sonic whizzed towards Eggman, hoping that the missile would hit him instead but the doctor quickly saved himself from being hit by his own missile by shooting at it with a laser. The missile exploded, the force of it brushing against the Egg Beater and barely shifting it. Sonic and Lilac hadn't been close when it had exploded so the shockwave missed them entirely. The hedgehog and dragon then positioned themselves just right so they could charge at the Egg Beater and slam into it again. But then suddenly, the elevator returned to the top floor and Brevon exploded out of it like an angry rhinoceros. Lilac screamed in shock as Brevon threw himself at her, whisking her off her feet and throwing her across the room. Sonic growled angrily and homing attacked Brevon in the back, knocking him down onto his knees. But then he was thrown across the room himself as he was walloped by the Egg Beater's mace again. He flew through the air and hit the wall, landing just beside Lilac. He lay there, unable to move for a moment. Lilac seemed equally as stunned.

They had been bashed up too much and their injuries were beginning to take their toll. They were barely conscious. They couldn't move and they couldn't stand up again. They were trapped. Eggman and Brevon cackled menacingly at their battered and beaten opponents, advancing on them menacingly.

"Ho, ho, ho! I told you this was too much for you Sonic!" he crowed, "And you really shouldn't have dragged poor Lilac into this. Now because of you, she's going to die too!"

 **"The same could be said to you little one."** Brevon sneered, running a thumb over his knife, **"Our combined might was too much for you two...and now your lives are going to be wasted. You really should have had the common sense to stay out of our affairs..."**

The two villains approached their enemies, ready to finish them off. Brevon clearly wanted Lilac for himself as he headed towards her and Eggman was going for Sonic. The two battered heroes sat up, helpless to do anything as death came towards them. With only one eye open, Lilac looked over at Sonic. She could see he was in a bad state, much like she was. They had no chance of surviving this.

"Sonic…I think this is it…" she said weakly.

"Always did…wanna go out swinging." Sonic said, grunting, "Lilac…it's been way past cool getting to meet you."

"Thanks…" the dragon said softly, "It's been an honour…working with you Sonic."

"Glad you think so." the hedgehog replied.

The two smiled sadly as if they knew this was their last conversation ever. With no way out of their predicament, they could only look up in fear as the Egg Breaker aimed its lasers at Sonic and Brevon prepared to slice Lilac's head off. All they could do was hope that their deaths wouldn't be very graphic…

* * *

Outside, down on the ground, the Mobians, Avalicians and the four armies that had helped them take out Eggman and Brevon's forces and get Sonic and Lilac onboard the Egg Dreadnought, were now all standing together and staring up at the ship as if expecting some miracle to happen. It was all they could do know, stand and wait for Sonic and Lilac to get the Kingdom Emerald and use it to separate their worlds. They all knew that once the miracle happened, they would be back on their own worlds, likely not to see either race from either world for a long time, maybe even ever again. It was a sacrifice everybody was willing to pay though since that meant Mobius and Avalice wouldn't be destroyed and they would all survive. The only thing wrong with the wait though was the not knowing. Nobody knew what was going on inside the dreadnought and nobody knew if Sonic and Lilac were close to finding the emerald or not. There was still a chance that the world could end before it could be saved. The wait was already beginning to feel like the longest wait of anybody's lives. Tails in particular was standing there clutching his tails and trying to keep calm.

"Oh…this wait is killing me!" Tails whined, "What's taking them so long in there?!"

"Maybe they haven't found the emerald yet." Amy suggested, "But don't worry, they'll make it Tails. Sonic's good at finding things remember?"

"Lilac's good at finding things too." Carol added, "But what if Brevon and Eggman have got them and the two can't handle them on their own? When Brevon invaded Avalice last month, me and Lilac had to team up to fight Brevon together and even then, we made it by the skin of our teeth!"

"So Lilac might not be able to handle Brevon by herself…" Torque said gravely, "True she has Sonic with her but Eggman will probably be seeing to that."

"Mr. Sonic always beats Dr. Eggman though." Cream noted, "He'll beat Eggman and then help Miss Lilac beat Brevon!"

"I wish we were there to help them though." Milla said nervously, "It might've been better if we had done."

"Maybe." Knuckles murmured, "Some of us probably should go in there to see if they're OK."

"But how are we gonna get up there?" Gong asked, "Not all of us can fly you know and having the flying members constantly going back and forth is just gonna take too long!"

Nobody was able to give an answer for something happened and everybody found themselves crying out as the ground began to shake. It was shaking so violently that everybody was knocked down onto their backs. Even Omega failed to keep his footing as he was brought down by the shuddering earth. Another earthquake was commencing but this one was the worst one yet. It felt as if the entire planet was shaking, trying to break itself to pieces for no reason. Everybody cried out, their yells snatched away by the sound of the trembling earth. The noise was deafening and the shaking was so violent that the poor Mobians and Avalicians felt as if their skeletons would be shaken out of their bodies. Then suddenly, the ground began to crack, an ear splitting bang that sounded as if the sky itself had a torn in half. As the ground cracked though, a huge streak of white, phosphorescent light shot up and reached for the sky as if wanting to escape from the doomed planet. Everybody stared open mouthed in amazement at this phenomenon. The white streak reached up high and then suddenly dissipated, vanishing into thin air almost as quickly as it had appeared. The chaos wasn't over though. The ground further up away, directly under the Egg Dreadnought, cracked open like a cosmic sized eggshell breaking open and more white energy exploded out from the planet's depths and leapt up into the sky. The energy even struck the Egg Dreadnought, punching into it and causing it to rock slightly. A few chunks of armour plating were ripped away and sent tumbling down to the ground. The energy then disappeared shortly afterwards. The amazing sight had left everybody awestruck, relieved yet amazed that the ship hadn't been destroyed by the energy streak.

The earthquake continued for a few more seconds, the shuddering getting less violent as the seconds passed, and then everything returned to normal. But nobody dared to relax just yet. It was all too likely that another earthquake would be coming soon. But the energy streaks had left everybody more worried than before.

"W-w-w-what…w-what w-was that?!" Neera whispered hoarsely.

"Hey genius brothers! Do you know what that was?" asked Amy frantically.

"If I'm to guess…" Tails murmured, "I think that was an expulsion of energy erupting from the fusion planet's core in protest to the shattering of the planet."

"It's a common theory that planets expel energy when they break apart." Torque mused, "And it's the worst possible sign ever for us."

"Let me guess…" Shadow said grimly, "It means we only have minutes, possibly seconds, until the planet self destructs?"

"Pretty much…" Torque nodded.

"Ohhhhh, I hope Sonic and Lilac will get the emerald in time…" Tails fretted, squeezing his tails so much he looked like he was trying to throttle them, "We're getting closer and closer to endgame as we speak!"

"They better damn well hurry up." Spade growled, "I'd rather live to fight another day if they don't mind."

"You shut up before I throw you down the cracks in the ground." Shadow snarled, angered at Spade's unhelpful attitude.

The ninja panda just turned away and stuck his nose up in the air. Shadow turned away and ignored him, feeling it was best he did. Tails stared up at the Egg Dreadnought again, still holding his tails. Fear was drawn all over his face and he looked as if he was about to have a panic attack. He was amazed he hadn't passed out yet.

"Oh Sonic…Lilac…please hurry…" he whispered.

* * *

Onboard the Egg Dreadnought, everybody had felt the violent impact of the energy streak hitting the ship and causing it to rock. Eggman and Brevon had just been about to kill Sonic and Lilac as the ship had been hit. The ship's rocking had caused them to stumble and fall over. Sonic and Lilac themselves had ended up sliding across the floor but they ended up having the greatest luck they could've asked for. The ship's rocking had sent them sliding towards the Kingdom Emerald! The two hit the stand it was on and held on tight as the ship righted itself, desperate not to slide any further. The Egg Dreadnought corrected its position, the room returning to normal and no longer slanting. Eggman and Brevon had been thrown across the room by the dip in angles and they were now lying against the wall, wondering what had happened. They looked bedraggled. This was the hedgehog and dragon's best chances of getting the Kingdom Emerald. They had to get it now while they could. Grunting, Sonic pushed his upper body up and looked up at the emerald. Lilac forced herself onto her hands and knees, measuring distances. She and Sonic had to climb a single step and then they could touch the emerald.

"Come on…we can do it…" Sonic croaked.

"I know we can…" Lilac whispered.

To her, the single step felt more like a hundred steps. But she forced herself to start crawling towards the emerald. Sonic did the same, grunting as his muscles were pushed to the maximum, doing their best to move him forward despite their weakened state. Lilac found herself panting as if the crawl was enough to exhaust her. But she was just millimetres away from the emerald. Grunting and gritting her teeth, Lilac reached out for the glorious gem. Sonic pulled up beside her and reached out for the emerald too. As their fingers were about to make contact, Eggman and Brevon picked themselves up, rubbing themselves and trying to shake off what had happened. They then saw Sonic and Lilac reaching for the Kingdom Emerald and both of them let out startled cries of shock.

"NOOO!" Eggman shrieked.

 **"GET AWAY FROM THAT!"** Brevon snarled.

Reacting fast, the villainous duo threw themselves towards the blue and green gem. But they were much, much too late. Sonic and Lilac touched the Kingdom Emerald. Their hands settled against the smooth surface of the gem. And then everything seemed to happen at once. A huge, luminous light exploded out of the Kingdom Emerald and filled the room. Eggman and Brevon were forced to shield their eyes as the light threatened to blind them. There was nothing but dazzling light for a good few minutes. Time seemed to be at a stop during the whole process. And then the light died down and Eggman and Brevon found themselves staring at their worst nightmares. The Kingdom Emerald had not only healed Sonic and Lilac from their injuries, but it had super-powered them too. Sonic's fur had turned a dazzling gold colour that made him the face of radiance. His eyes had turned red and his quills all pointed upwards, giving him a rather majestic look. He was now Super Sonic, a form he was very familiar with and a form that had been responsible for saving the world more times than Sonic could count. Lilac's skin had turned a beautiful scarlet colour, making her look very powerful and graceful at the same time. Her hair and tendrils pointed up also and her eyes had turned red. This was a form known as the Scarlet Dragon. When powered up by the energy of the Kingdom Stone, people could access this powerful form. The two looked at each other admirably for a moment, amazed at how powerful and dazzling they now looked.

"Wow…I never knew I could do that!" Scarlet Dragon gasped.

"Now you do!" Super Sonic said, winking.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOO!" Eggman howled in despair, "THIS CANNOT BE!"

 **"THEY USED THE EMERALD TO POWER THEMSELVES UP!"** Brevon shouted, **"THEY'RE INVINCIBLE NOW!"**

"You bet we are Thing 1 and Thing 2!" Super Sonic sneered, "Now you're totally down for the count!"

"You should've just let us have the emerald when you had the chance." Scarlet Dragon gloated, "Now you get a taste of us with the power of Mobius and Avalice coursing through our veins!"

 **"You will not win this one!"** Brevon cried desperately.

"I'LL REDUCED YOU SUPER TWERPS TO ATOMS!" Eggman bellowed.

He then proceeded to unleash a heavy volley of missiles directly at Super Sonic and Scarlet Dragon. The missiles came out fast and heavy and they bombarded the two super powered heroes. But being super powered with the energy of the Master Emerald and the Kingdom Energy in their bloodstream, the super hedgehog and super dragon took the missiles as if nothing had happened. It was like the missiles weren't even there to them. Scarlet Dragon was amazed at how strong she know was. Missiles didn't even hurt her! Super Sonic already knew this, having used this form several times before.

Super Sonic then rocketed towards Eggman like a golden torpedo and he slammed straight into the centre of the Egg Breaker. The machine had been built to best Sonic, but not Super Sonic. The machine barely even withstood the impact as Super Sonic hit it, leaving a huge dent in the torso and throwing the heavy machine across the room as if it didn't even weigh anything. The Egg Breaker crashed heavily into the wall, shaking Eggman about inside the cockpit like a pea in a pan. He barely even had time to regain himself as Super Sonic came charging towards him. The golden hedgehog tore through the Egg Breaker as if it were made of paper, ripping off the chest plate and throwing it over his shoulder. Eggman yelped in fright and quickly had his machine swing the mace at Super Sonic. The super Mobian simply grabbed the mace cable and tore the mace out of the machine's hand. Desperate to win, Eggman swung the shield at Super Sonic. But the empowered hedgehog simply held up a hand and caught the shield before it could hit him. He then tore the whole arm off with no effort whatsoever. Then he curled up into a ball and spin-dashed the Egg Breaker all over, tearing it apart piece-by-piece as Eggman watched on in horror. He was helpless, unable to do anything as his beautiful creation was effortlessly torn to pieces.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! **I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!** " he roared.

"I honestly could hear you say that all day." Super Sonic sneered, boosting into Eggman and knocking him down onto the floor, reducing the rest of the Egg Breaker into a pile of scrap metal.

Meanwhile, Brevon had been swinging his dagger viciously at Scarlet Dragon, hoping to slice her to pieces. But as he slashed at her, the super Avalician took the blows and displayed no signs of damage. It was as if Brevon was slashing at a steel wall rather than flesh and bone. He couldn't penetrate her invincible skin. Scarlet Dragon was standing back and letting Brevon waste his energy trying to damage her, finding the whole thing very amusing. The furious alien seemed determine to rip his nemesis apart even though there was no chance of him so much as scratching her. Then the Scarlet Dragon spun around on the spot and walloped Brevon with her tendrils. Her Dragon Cyclone was far more powerful than it had been before, whisking the alien into the air as if he was a fly being flicked. Brevon cried out loud as he was sent spiralling and just before he could hit the ground, Scarlet Dragon boosted after him and then charged straight up in to him, slamming him into the ceiling and then churning into his armour. She was enjoying this amazing power she now wielded. Just wait until Carol and Milla saw this! She flew back, allowing Brevon to fall down onto the floor, hitting it heavily. The alien picked himself up and pulled out a bunch of mines from his cape. He hurled that at the Scarlet Dragon, hoping against all hope he'd at least hurt her. The mines hit but despite the explosions, they did no harm to her. It was like they weren't even exploding in her eyes. Scarlet Dragon then curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted into Brevon, leaving behind a glittering trail of red sparkles. She hit the warlord in the abdomen, taking him off his feet and slamming him straight into a wall, hitting it so hard she almost ripped her way straight through it. The wall dented from the impact, the dent so deep that Brevon almost became wedged into it. Scarlet Dragon then hung back as the warlord collapsed onto his knees, gasping for breath. Then with a crazed look in his eyes, he drew out his dagger and slashed at Scarlet Dragon with it. But the dagger ended up shattering to pieces as if it was made of glass as it hit her. Scarlet Dragon folded her arms and smirked triumphantly at the horrified alien.

 **"NOOOO! I…I CANNOT LOSE TO YOU AGAIN CRETIN! NOT A SECOND TIME!"**

"Too bad Lord Scumbag, because you're finished!" Scarlet Dragon gloated, back-handing her nemesis across the face and sending him flying across the room with merely a flick of her wrist.

Both Brevon and Eggman lay sprawled out on the floor, battered and beaten from their conflict with Super Sonic and Scarlet Dragon. They were too weak to get up again. They lay on the floor, wondering which part of them to rub better. They could hardly believe that their beautiful plan had ended like this, humiliated and sorely beaten by their impudent enemies. They would never be able to live this defeat down, no matter how long they lived. Super Sonic dusted off his hands, clearly having enjoyed the whole beat down.

"And that, is that." he crowed, "The bad guys lose again."

"And thank goodness for that too." Scarlet Dragon said brightly, "I really thought we were done for before we got that emerald."

"I did too, but it shows that no matter how dire the situation is, there's always a way to come out on top." Super Sonic said delightedly.

"I certainly believe that now." Scarlet Dragon said, winking, "Now then, it is time we restored our worlds to normal."

"You got it!" Super Sonic cried.

The two super powered heroes then walked over to the Kingdom Emerald and they put their hands on the huge gem. It amazed them in a way to think that this whole event had been caused by this giant emerald, swirling with energies of two different kinds. And now they were going to use it to undo the damages that Brevon and Eggman had done. As they touched the emerald, the two couldn't resist glancing at each other. They smiled as if thinking that this was the last they would ever see of each other.

"You know…I will admit, crossing over into your world and meeting you and your friends was a lot of fun." he said softly.

"I've enjoyed meeting you and your friends too." Scarlet Dragon replied, "I'm gonna miss you Sonic."

"I'll miss you too Lilac." Super Sonic said, "But hopefully one day, Tails will build a new ship and maybe we can use it to fly over and visit Avalice again."

"This time, without it being fused with Mobius." Scarlet Dragon said with a slight chuckle, "And maybe Torque could use his rocket to take me and my friends over to Mobius in return."

"I look forward to it." Super Sonic said, "You were way past cool and I'd love to see you again some day."

"Me too." Scarlet Dragon replied.

The two then looked back at the Kingdom Emerald and closed their eyes as they prepared for the next step. They could feel the energy crackling under their palms as they stood still for a moment. So much energy contained in this single gem. It was almost hard to believe. Then after a moment, Super Sonic and Scarlet Dragon yelled out the two words that would save their worlds from total destruction.

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

As they yelled, the emerald let out a mixture of blue and green lights that engulfed the whole room. The light was so bright that not even Super Sonic and Scarlet Dragon could keep their eyes open. Thus they never saw anything else as the light swallowed them up and the world became nothing but a mixture of blue and green…

* * *

 _ **Looks like the world is safe again! Sonic and Lilac are victorious!**_

 _ **But what will become of our heroes now Mobius and Avalic are back to normal? Join me next time as we wrap up this epic crossover concludes with an epilogue chapter...**_


	15. Epilogue: Restoration

**Act 3**

 _Epilogue: Restoration_

Sonic the Hedgehog found himself suddenly jolting awake as if he'd come out of a dream. He sat up in his bed and took a look around, slightly panting. He was in his own room. Everything was exactly the way it had been the last time he saw it. That was strange. It felt as if the whole crossing over with Avalice had been nothing more than a dream. But had it been a dream? Sonic wasn't so sure about that. He remembered everything as clear as daylight from when he first met Lilac to meeting her other friends and even sharing lunch with Lilac. That had all been real, he knew that.

The hedgehog smoothed his fur and swung his legs over the side of the bed. If he was here, back in his own room, in his own home…then that had to mean that the Chaos Control he and Lilac had initiated with the Kingdom Emerald had worked. A tiny doubt nagged him in the back of his head. Did it fail and what he was going to see outside was heaven instead of Mobius? Was he dead and now living with the angels? The teen hero could feel his heartrate increasing as he strode over to the window and opened the curtains. What he saw was just what he had wanted to see. The world outside looking bright and beautiful as it always had done. The sky was a perfect blue with scant wisps of cloud in the sky. The sun was shining and everything looked peaceful and normal. There were no cracks in the ground. There was nothing that shouldn't be here, nothing from Avalice that told him his world had collided with another. Mobius was completely normal. And if it that was the case, it meant that Mobius was out of the limbo, separated from Avalice and above all, safe from destruction. The hedgehog let out a whoop of joy.

"YES!" he cried, "Mobius is normal again! I knew that a good ol' Chaos Control would save my world and Lilac's world from destroying themselves!"

Sonic then decided that he would celebrate such an occasion by meeting up with his friends. He wanted to see them more than anybody in the world right now. He had been thinking of them as he and Lilac had undone the damages done to their worlds by Eggman and Brevon. That was when he briefly wondered about his egg-shaped nemesis. What become of him after the separation process? He was likely still at large, lying somewhere in the world and waiting for the perfect moment to strike again. He shrugged it off. He would stop Eggman if he dared to show his face again, just as he always did. The hedgehog exited his home and sped off across the grasslands to find his friends. He wondered how they were all taking in what had happened lately and how they were now everything was back to normal. He could already imagine that Tails would be pleased about it. After all, it was the phenomenon in the sky that he'd been observing that had partially been responsible for the whole crossover. The light in the sky had been a portal between worlds and Eggman and Brevon had been able to meet because of them. Hopefully that would never happen again.

A while later, Sonic found Tails, Amy and Cream all gathered together just outside his laboratory. The fox had some blueprints in his hands and was looking at them studiously while Amy and Cream were looking at him.

"It's a shame I lost the Blue Typhoon back on the fusion world but it's a good thing I kept hold of these." he was saying to the girls, "I can easily rebuild the ship and then we can go on some real space voyages."

"That we can Tails." Amy agreed, "And you know, maybe me and Cream could help you make it this time."

"I'd be happy to help!" Cream piped, "And then when the ship's done, we can go into space and see new worlds and see the stars!"

"That's why I built it in the first place." Tails said modestly, "You know, I wonder if Sonic would like to contribute…"

It was as if the fox had unknowingly given Sonic the perfect moment to enter the picture. The hedgehog strode up to the three with a casual smile on his face.

"Hey guys!" Sonic cried delightedly.

"Sonic!" Tails piped in response, "We were just thinking about you!"

"We were wondering if you'd like to help us rebuild the Blue Typhoon." Amy added, smiling sweetly.

"I'm not much of a tech guy but eh, I'll join in." Sonic said happily, "Say, how is everyone?"

"A LOT better." Tails replied, "We're all overjoyed that everything's back to normal now and Mobius isn't gonna end. I called G.U.N. and Knuckles earlier and they're all doing fine. The Master Emerald's back where it belongs and is back to normal and Shadow, Rouge and Omega are awaiting their next mission. Me and the girls met up earlier to see how we were doing."

"We were even going to see you Mr. Sonic to see how you were." Cream added.

Sonic smiled brightly. It made him feel overjoyed to see that his friends were OK, even the ones he liked to tease like Knuckles and Shadow. What could be better than waking up to see everything he knew and loved was perfectly alright now?

"I'm doing great thanks." the Mobian hero said happily, "And I guess you remember the whole crossing over with Avalice thing right?"

"Every bit of it." Amy confirmed, "Meeting all those new people from Avalice, the world threatening to tear itself apart, fighting Brevon and Eggman's forces, all of it."

"I remember how a blue and green flash swept over us all." Tails said, "When it happened, I knew that it was you and Lilac doing it. I knew that we had succeeded and we were going to be alright."

"And now everything's back to normal and we're going to live!" Cream squealed, "Though I'm already missing my new friend Milla. She was really nice."

"At least now we can go about our lives content with the fact that both Mobius and Avalice are safe from danger." the twin-tailed fox said comfortingly, "And who knows? When I rebuild the Blue Typhoon, we could probably visit Avalice and see our new friends again."

"Sounds good to me." Sonic said with a wink, "So let's get building!"

Tails nodded happily and then he, Sonic, Amy and Cream went into the lab to begin construction work of the new Blue Typhoon. As they were about to commence, Sonic had a single thought in his mind. A thought that made him smile with joy.

 _We did it Lilac. Our worlds are safe again. I hope things are going well for you…and I hope we can see each other again soon…_

* * *

"Hey Lilac, you done snoring your head off already?" Carol asked as she shook the dragon girl frantically, "Come on, it's time to get up!"

Lilac opened her eyes and stretched, yawning loudly. She felt as if she'd had a long night and wasn't quite ready to get up yet. And yet there was her best friend, shaking her and telling her to get up. That was unusual. It was mostly Lilac who work Carol up, not the other way around. The dragon sat up in her bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She thought back to what had supposedly been a dream as she awoke. Crossing over with another world and meeting another world hero! She was sure it had been a dream and yet something told her that it wasn't a dream. It felt real, like it had all really happened. Had it? She looked over at Carol, the tomboy feline looking bright-eyed and cheerful, which certainly was unusual. Carol wasn't much of a mornings person and yet here she was, already awake and smiling.

"Hmm…good morning Carol." Lilac said brightly.

"And to you too Little Miss Sleepyhead." Carol snickered, "Half the morning's already over and you're only just waking up!"

"You're one to talk." Lilac snorted, "By the way, how are you? And how's Milla? And Torque? And everybody else?"

"You're thinking about that crazy crossover we had with Mobius aren't ya?" the wildcat asked, "Well if that's the case, I can gladly tell you that Milla's absolutely fine. She's waiting for ya at the breakfast table. So is Torque. Gong, Neera, Dail, Zao and Spade though, not so sure about but we can find that out."

She then sat down on the bed beside Lilac and smiled at her.

"You and that Sonic dude are real heroes Lilac. You saved us all." she said softly, "You two restored our world to normal. Nothing's mixed up with Mobius and it doesn't look like the end of the world out there. I'm not sure if you remember it or not but the last thing I saw before waking up in my own bed this morning was a bright flash of green and blue. That was definitely you two, I just knew it!"

Lilac thought for a moment. Yes…it had all been real. She knew it had! She had become the Scarlet Dragon thanks to the power of the Kingdom Energy and the Master Emerald along with Sonic, who had become super with the two powers. It had been thanks to the mixture of the two powers that she and Sonic had walked all over Brevon and Eggman and then undid the fusion that had brought their worlds together. Lilac had been surprised that she suddenly knew what Chaos Control was and how to do it. Perhaps the Master Emerald's energy had done it, given her Chaos Powers while the Kingdom Energy had made her super. Whatever it was, she was glad to hear that everything was peaceful and there was no longer anything to worry about. The world was safe again. She allowed herself to think of Brevon for a moment. Where was he now? Hopefully far away from Avalice and never to be seen again.

"Oh Carol, that's the best news I could wake up to!" she exclaimed, "I remember how me and Sonic did…something spectacular and the last thing I began wondering was if we were going to succeed."

"And you did." Carol winked, "I wonder how those Mobian dudes are doing now? Especially Spiky, I really liked him."

"I'm sure they're fine Carol." Lilac said reassuringly, "If Avalice is back to normal then so is Mobius. That was what the whole thing was about, saving both our worlds."

"And it looks like you succeeded on that part." Carol said happily, "You know…I wonder if we'll ever see Mobius again?"

"Maybe Torque can take us there some day. It'd be nice to see that world without it being meshed together with ours." said Lilac brightly, "For now though, let's get some breakfast and see how Milla and Torque are doing. I bet they're dying to see me right now."

"Sure thing, I'm really ready for it!" the wildcat chuckled.

With that said, Lilac and Carol got up off the bed and walked downstairs to see their other two friends. Lilac felt her stomach rumble as she went downstairs. She was definitely ready for breakfast. But as she approached the dining room, she allowed herself to think for a moment. She smiled as she thought about the other world that her world had been mixed up with.

 _Avalice is safe Sonic. I knew we could do it. I hope you and your friends are OK and that our paths can cross again someday…_

* * *

Back on Mobius, there was somebody who was hard at work but didn't seem too particularly happy. It was known other than Dr. Eggman. He was working on rebuilding Metal Sonic having had just rebuilt Orbot and Cubot a moment ago. He was hidden in his laboratory somewhere on the planet, far out of Sonic's reach and beyond his detection given how well hidden it was. It irked him that he was back to square one, skulking down in a laboratory instead of proudly standing high above the planet in his precious Death Egg. He would easily rebuild it but Eggman was not a man who liked to rebuild things so shortly after completing them. He paused in the middle of what he was doing and sighed loudly. Orbot and Cubot could sense he wasn't too happy and they approached him to see if they could cheer him up.

"Doctor, is there something wrong?" Orbot asked.

"Vhere must be something vrong if he's all sighing and annoyed looking." Cubot noted, his voice chip now sporting a thick German accent, "Vhat's up Doc?"

"Nothing." Eggman muttered, "Just…a little exhausted that's all."

"You don't look very exhausted doctor." Orbot noted.

"Nein, he doesn't mien good friend!" Cubot agreed, "He looks perfectly fine. Go on doc, tell us vhat's vrong."

"I SAID NOTHING!" the obese scientist bellowed angrily, "Just go away and leave me in peace!"

The two hench-bots recoiled sharply. They knew that if Eggman was in this kind of mood, it was wise NOT to anger him further and to do as they were told. Obediently, they stepped back and allowed him to continue working in peace. They retracted into their shape modes and waited for the need to come out again. Sighing again, Eggman picked up a spanner and observed Metal Sonic's chassis as he prepared to continue working. He couldn't tell Orbot and Cubot what was really wrong with him. They wouldn't know what he was on about. They had been destroyed before the world had been restored. He remembered it all, the alliance with Lord Brevon, stealing the Kingdom Energy from Avalice, fusing his world with Avalice, trying to betray Brevon, fighting against Sonic and Lilac and losing in the end. He had lost a gem of unfathomable power and now he was back to where it all started, him trying to conquer Mobius. If only he hadn't lost! He could've then slaughtered Brevon and taken the Kingdom Emerald for himself! He would've been more powerful than ever before and Mobius would bow to him! Instead…it was all over. No Kingdom Emerald and his world back to normal. He was happy at that since it meant Mobius wouldn't be gone but he would've preferred it if he had been the one to save it instead of that meddling brat of a hedgehog. He clenched his teeth as he tightened a bolt on Metal Sonic's arm.

"I'll get you next time rodent… he growled, "I may have lost the Kingdom Emerald but mark my words…you'll be history the next time we meet. And I won't have that fool Brevon to worry about either. I sure hope that demon has gone to hell where he belongs for wanting my world dead…"

Such a thought made him smile as he finished tightening the bolt…

* * *

In another world far, far away from both Mobius and Avalice, Lord Arktivus Brevon was sitting alone in a chair and glancing at a computer screen that hung just above him. He was back on his home planet and in his base, watching as his army began the reconstruction of the Dreadnought. It was a really inconvenient moment for him. He was back home, sitting there watching as his army began rebuilding his ship instead of already being out in space, terrorizing worlds and subjugating them to his own cause. He should also be heading to Avalice, trying to get revenge instead of sitting here plotting it. And yet he was here as if time had reversed and put him back at the starting line. He would have to start all over again to reach the finish. But for now, he'd be content to continue his valiant efforts to save his endangered home. His planet was at risk and he would be happy defending it for the time being. Avalice would have to wait.

As he watched, General Serpentine slithered into the room and approached him. Brevon didn't even notice him as he entered.

"Sir, Syntax has been fully repaired and is operating normally!" he announced, "She's already been set to work."

 **"That's good news general."** Brevon muttered, **"How goes my army?"**

"Still on the frontlines trying to save our world." Serpentine reported, "We can join them if you wish."

 **"I'll be happy to get into the battle."** Brevon said grimly, **"I'll just observe the construction of my ship for a few more moments and be right outside. Keep up the defences and don't allow anybody to push further against us."**

"As you wish my lord!" Serpentine said.

With nothing left to say, he saluted and slithered out of the room. Brevon wondered for a moment if the general even remembered a thing that had happened the other day. The villainous warlord remembered all too well his humiliating defeat at Sonic and Lilac's hands and the loss of the Kingdom Emerald. How he had managed to lose so badly, he would never know. And now because of his loss, Avalice wasn't going to be destroyed and that impudent brat of a dragon was still alive to laugh at him from afar. It made his blood boil just thinking about it. What made it worse was that Sonic and his friends would also be laughing at him. Now he had two worlds mocking him and making a fool out of him instead of one. Oh how he wished he had never stumbled into that portal! If he'd never met Eggman than none of this would've happened! He would make both worlds pay at some point though, that much was certain.

 **"You better not celebrate Avalice or Mobius…"** he muttered, **"I'll be coming for both of you. And both worlds will be reduced to dust for daring to make me a mockery for the universe. It'll definitely be very satisfying to hear the screams of both worlds as they're blown to atoms, never to exist for another day…"**

The beautiful image made him smile deviously. What an image it was and he was keen to make it come true…

* * *

Unknown to Mobius, or Avalice, the white portal that had set off the chain of events that had led to their crossing over was closing up. There was nothing left inside of it so now both ends could close, leaving the limbo empty like it should always be. It looked like a giant white eye closing in the black void around. And now it was closing, it wouldn't open again for another year. And when it opened up again…there was always the possibility that for Mobius and Avalice…their worlds could collide again…and this time, it wouldn't be catastrophic for there would be no repeats of what had happened.

It was a long wait for both worlds but for both of them, a year would go by and their worlds would be linked once more…

* * *

 _ **And that's the end of Worlds of Freedom! :D I hope you enjoyed this epic crossover and look forward dearly to seeing you all again in my next fanfics.**_

 _ **Will there be a sequel to this? Maybe, but for now, I'd rather not jump into another crossover so quickly. Thanks for reading and reviewing everybody and see you all real soon! :D**_


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